The Legend of Korra: K&K
by Katalana
Summary: (Sorry, still thinkin of another title) The world has fallen out of balance since the passing of Avatar Aang. Now a new Avatar has risen and is ready to take on the world, but there's minor twist to this legend that we all know and love: Avatar Korra has a sister, a twin sister named Katalana, who willingly takes a sidekick role while she engages in a few adventures of her own...
1. Chapter 1

Kat: Hey guys, it's the author here. So, this is kinda confusing, but the main character of this story is a girl of my own creation named Katalana (hence my choice in username), so since Katalana never goes by a nickname, I'll be "Kat" and she'll be "Katalana." Confusion solved? Okay, anyway, this was my first fanfic ever written but my second fic published. I actually like this one a lot more than Yue's Journal because I've been working on it longer (over two years) and with so much more dedication and interest. I've probably read and re-read this a million times and I thiiiiink it's finally ready to be read by someone other than me and my best friend. Also, sidenote, I'll use 5 dots to signal when I'm changing from my commentary to the story &amp; back, and I'll use 3 dots to signal a scene change in the story. Hope y'all enjoy! (Warning: this chapter is exactly six pages out of 200-something and I'm nowhere near finished, so be prepared for a long journey!)

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"Katalana! Katalaaanaaa!" rang my twin sister's muffled voice. I giggled from my hiding place beneath the earth and snow. It was there in the Southern Water Tribe, located near the South Pole, where my family decided to make our home. And where, on that crisp, clear day that Korra and I had run out onto the tundra to play hide and seek. There were many games for two five year old girls to play, but hide and seek was by far one of our favorites – especially when I could use my bending.

Bending, it was a skill that over half of the world's population was able to use. A skill that enabled people to manipulate, or "bend," the element of their respective nation. Benders of the Water Tribes, both North and South, were able to direct the flow of water (or anything containing water) to their will. And some, like my sister, were able to use it to heal people. The people of the Earth Kingdoms were capable of commanding rock, and could literally move mountains if they so pleased. The Fire Nation could conjure and wield fire from their hands, feet, and mouths – which was pretty miraculous in that they never burned themselves or their own clothes. The Air Nomads were a truly peaceful people who could move air currents and change wind patters, but they also had an unfortunate history, leaving only a single family of them left alive.

"Katalaaanaaa!" Korra [KOR-ruh] called again, her voice still muted by my self-made cave. My use of bending in our game, even if later deemed unacceptable by my sister, made the challenge all the more exciting. (Although I lived in the Southern Water Tribe, I presumably took the earthbending talent from my maternal grandfather – who hailed from the Earth Kingdom.) And on that day I used my talent to "dig" a pit through the snow and earth to hide. I had lowered myself in and bended a ceiling overhead to block out the sky and any unsuspecting sisters.

"Come ooon Katalana! I know you're out here!"

I felt the vibrations of her footsteps coming nearer. (Earthbenders were especially sensitive to vibrations in the earth too – which was often used to determine someone's location or even to tell if they were lying by how quickly their blood pumped through their bodies.) Korra took another step in my direction. _Come on, just a few feet closer!_ I thought to myself. She moved forward another step, and another. _Oh, this is going to be so mean, but so worth it!_ One more step and she was in the perfect position. I spread my arms apart, wide and fast. The roof above me split open, flooding my little hollow with the last light of the setting sun. I giggled as a terrified shriek pierced the air and a little body dropped and hit the frozen floor with a hard ker-plunk. The girl sat up slowly, rubbing her rear and blinking a few times to let her eyes adjust to the dim atmosphere. When her vision finally focused, it settled on me, and her pained and confused expression evaporated into rage. I braced myself, still laughing hysterically, as she leaned over and slugged me repeatedly.

"That hurt!"

My laughing suppressed itself some, but more out of a teasing respect for her than from pain. I was still smiling as I swatted her hand away. "Okay, okay! I give! I give!"

Reluctantly, she leaned away and slumped against the opposite wall, still glaring at me, her arms folded across her chest. "That wasn't funny!"

I grinned a bear-cat's grin. "Sure it was – for _me_!"

"You cheated!"

"_You_ call it cheating, _I _call it being creative!"

"Well whatever you call it, it wasn't fair," she pouted, continuing to massage her back and backside.

"Oh, like you've never been unfair with me!" I countered.

She stopped rubbing for a minute and sat in pretend thought, then smiled and agreed. At least she never denied it.

"Come on, we'd better head home before it gets dark. Wanna a lift?" She grinned. She knew exactly what I had in mind. "Right, silly question. Going up!"

With that, I laid my palms out flat, holding them close to my body, and pushed down hard. The floor of the hole trembled, then shot up and boosted us out, sending us flying through the air alongside a passing puffin-gull. We sailed high above the snow, the frigid air stinging our faces, when suddenly our upward momentum slowed. Before we could plummet to our possible deaths, I raised my stubby arms skyward. Again the ground rumbled, then rose up into an icy slide. We landed on it softly and slid safely to the ground, shooting across the frozen water until we met a snowbank, causing the fresh powder to explode in a frosty flurry. Korra and I were breathless, but we burst out laughing regardless.

"Race you home!" Korra exclaimed, shoving me back into the snow to give herself a head start.

"See?!" I yelled at her back as I shook the flakes from my hair. "You're not fair either!"

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Both of us charged home with amazing speed for five year olds, each of us determined to beat the other. Caution, though, was a priority, because ice in general was dangerous, but thin ice was potentially deadly. Those were the times I was glad that Korra was a waterbender, because anytime either of us slipped or felt the ground beneath us give way, she quickly turned and froze it solid.

Soon enough, the village came into view, the dim glow of the fires radiating heat and luminescence out the small half-oval doors of the igloos.

"I win!" we said at the same time, unanimously touching our palms to the outside of our igloo. "No, I win!"

We glared at each other for a moment, then smiled. I held out my right index finger. "Tie?"

"Tie," she agreed, wrapping her corresponding finger around mine. We discovered a long time before that it was better to let those things go.

Warmth enveloped us as we stepped inside our cozy ice hut. We shed our parkas, which had grown hot and heavy against our skin.

"Welcome home, girls. Did you have fun outside?" rang the soft, melodious tone of our mother, Senna [SEN-nuh]. She was kneeling over a large cauldron sitting on the fire, stirring what was likely boiled sea prunes – our favorite! Her tired smile brightened as her two daughters rushed over to hug her.

"Hi Mom! Yes, we had fun – at least Katalana did." Korra answered, shooting a glance at me.

"Oh?" hummed our mother, turning her attention to me.

I gave them a guilty smile in return. "Yup! I 'dug' a hole and I tricked Korra into standing right on top of-brr!"

A sudden rush of cold air whipped through the igloo. It came from the newly opened door, held wide by our father who was arriving home from work.

"Ah, there are my three favorite girls!" he chuckled once he firmly shut the door and shook the snow from his boots.

"Tonraq," Senna greeted him kindly, releasing us so that we could go to hug him next. He scooped us up and kissed us each, then carried us to the couch and settled us in his lap. We snuggled up to his strong frame, fully content and safe in his large, brawny arms. At first he seemed honestly interested to hear how our day was, but his smile faded when he learned how late we were out.

"You let them stay out until sundown?" There was an edge in his tone.

Senna was taken aback by his sudden change of mood. "Well, I had _hoped_ they would be back a little sooner than they were, but I thought they were responsible enough to decide on their own."

"Senna, they're five years old!"

"Yes...I am aware of that." She stopped stirring the bubbling liquid and stared at her husband. "Tonraq...is something wrong?"

Our father let out a long sigh. He never let out long sighs. Whatever he was about to say next weighed heavy on his heart.

"I met with The Order of the White Lotus today."

_The White Lotus...where have I heard that name before?_ I thought anxiously.

"The White Lotus?" Senna asked, her brow turning up in slight confusion and worry. "Why did you meet with them?"

"They are coming here. Tomorrow evening. They want us to prove Korra is who we say she is."

"Really Daddy? They're coming?" Korra asked, showing no indication of hiding her enthusiasm. She bounced on our father's lap in anticipation.

"Yes, sweetheart." he said, giving her a smile that was obviously more cheerful than he felt.

Senna was a little less than pleased. "Tomorrow? So soon? I thought they didn't announce who the Avatar was until he or she turned sixteen."

"That was what they always did in the past – until Aang, that is. But now there is a new threat, and they need to begin their search early."

_Oh, so _that's _where I've heard that name before._

The Order of the White Lotus was an organization of the world's best and wisest – and oftentimes oldest – warriors, and one of their most important jobs was to find and train the Avatar. The Avatar was no ordinary bender. He or she was the most powerful bender in existence, one capable of bending all four elements, and one chosen by God to bring peace and balance to the world. But, once one Avatar died, another was born into the next nation in the cycle – and that was where The White Lotus' job began. The last Avatar, Aang, was born into the Air Nomads, and after his death five years ago, the Order started searching in the Water Tribes. For the longest time, our family was comfortably in-tune, yet detached from the whole "Avatar Search". Until a few months ago, that is. A few months ago, our family became both incredibly excited and extraordinarily uneasy. We discovered that Korra could bend not only water, but fire as well.

"This early?" asked our mother, concerned. Korra and I both got off of Dad's lap and slipped into the back room so that our parents could talk in private – even though we kept the door cracked to listen in on their conversation.

"Apparently so," Tonraq [TAWN-rock] continued, "They want to prepare for the worst in advance. They don't want another 100 year war."

That was another problem that arose when Aang was young. He was only twelve when he learned that he was the Avatar, but he had been told some...misinformation about his duties, and had almost been taken away from his home to train. So, in a moment of fear, he ran away – where he got caught in a blizzard, nearly drowned, and was frozen in ice for one hundred years. And during that time, the Fire Nation rulers became corrupt and much too powerful for their own good. They abused their authority and eliminated the Air Nomads, hoping to kill the still-unannounced Avatar, and practically took over the world. Of course, in the end, Aang and his friends stopped them, and a new Firelord was crowned, but the lingering disunity between the nations left them unbalanced and at risk for anything.

Senna was still alarmed. "But _this early_?" she reiterated. "Korra's only five...years...old..." She drifted off, finally understanding the true reason for Tonraq's outburst. Our family was dropped right smack dab in the middle of the Search. The next Avatar...was Korra.

Tonraq pressed his lips in a tight line. "It's out of our hands now. They're coming tomorrow for Korra to give a demonstration."

"And what will they do when they see that she _is_ the Avatar?"

He shook his head. "They won't send her around the world to learn the other elements. Not yet. Not while she's so young. I believe they will begin her training here in the South Pole, in a compound only a mile or two outside of town."

"Well, I suppose that's better than what I expected."

"That is true," he reluctantly agreed.

"But that's not nearly as good as I had hoped..."

"I know."

From my hiding spot behind the door, I watched as my father crossed the room to sit by my mother. After sliding his thick arms around her shoulders in a warm hug, she laid her head on his chest. It was very difficult to see from so far away, but I could have sworn that I saw her eyes close and a stream of mournful tears leave faint lines down her cheeks.

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"So they're really coming?!"

"Any minute now!"

"I can't wait!"

The voices came from the back of our igloo, where three little kids anxiously awaited the members of the Order. The second and third voices were from me and Korra, but the first belonged to a boy of the age of six. Matokka [muh-TOE-kuh] was his name, and my mischievous best friend was who he had come to be. The three of us were huddled in that little back room, pressed close against the door, hoping to hear the anticipated knock on the front door beyond. With our small ears pressed to the wood, we could hear the muffled crackling of a fire and the soft whispers of our parents. None of us could make out what they said, but we could guess.

Our wandering thoughts were jolted back into reality as four solid, rhythmic knocks were thumped across the latter door. The deep resounding voice of our father reached our ears first.

"Ah, welcome to our humble home. Please, won't you come in?"

My fingers were spread out on the frosty dirt floor, and I felt the vibrations of six individual feet enter our living room before the door was shut tight and latched securely with a strap made from the tanned hide of an unfortunate whale-seal.

Another voice spoke, though it was one I could not recognize nor understand, for it was strong and haughty, but still so soft that his utterance was garbled.

Beyond our listening post, though, Senna and Tonroq could hear quite well – excellent even. "Good evening," said the first man. He was short and stout, with a balding head of white hair and a wrinkled face. A wrinkled face that did nothing to hide its obvious distaste for his job – and having to do the job on that turbulent, wintry night. His clothes, though askew from the buffeting wind, were crisp and clean. He wore the traditional attire of a White Lotus member: a thick white tunic over long blue slacks, and a shawl-like neck piece that was a rich royal blue hue. And, around the opening for the neck, spreading until nearly the hem, was an excessively large and intricate White Lotus Flower. (That particular flower, I later learned, was chosen as the Order's symbol because over the years, the blossom had come to represent purity, prosperity, and peace.)

Tonroq spoke again. "Please, won't you sit down?"

"I'd rather not," the man said stiffly. "This visit shan't take long; our search has lasted several years and is still ongoing."

Even in the face of blatant disrespect, Senna remained calm and hopeful. She gripped her broom handle to keep her steady. "Then you'll be pleased to know that your search has come to an end."

In the back room, Korra suddenly turned to me and whispered excitedly. "You remember the plan, right?"

"_I came up with_ the plan!"

"No you didn't, but so long as you remember-"

"Shh!" Matokka interrupted. With one finger pressed to his lips, he nodded back to the door.

"No, over here!" I said, redirecting him to the wall. Looking through the ice blurred whatever was beyond, but in various places there were chinks or holes that had not been properly sealed from which we could sneak a peek – however small it was.

Our parents stood by the couch and the sages by the door. The man in lead raised his eyebrows skeptically. "And how can you be so sure your daughter is _the_ _one_? We have investigated many claims both here and in the Northern Tribe. All have been proven false."

Smiling at her husband in equal understanding, Senna turned to look in our direction. "Korra, would you come in here please?"

I turned to my sister, suddenly doubting our plan. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Katalana! We can't turn back now! I'm ready!" she answered roughly. "I'll burst in, put on a little show, they'll congratulate me, and then they'll find masters to train me. Simple!" Her tough-girl act may have fooled Matokka, but she was at least _a little_ anxious. Twins just know those things – especially when they're sitting next to them and they can _feel_ their sibling's jitters as well as see them.

"Korra?" our mother repeated.

The strain in her voice was evident, so Korra quickly took her place by the wall. "It's time!" she squealed. "Now you remember-"

"I remember, I remember! But if Mom and Dad get angry, I'm blaming you for this!" I shot back before she could finish her nagging.

Korra took a few strong, deep breaths while we scooted out of the range of fire – or water, whichever came first. She took her place by the wall, then kicked up a leg and drove it right through, forcing the ice blocks to fly across the living room and slam into the opposite wall, leaving a gaping hole in its place.

With a triumphant fist raised she shouted, "I'm the Avatar and you gotta _deal with it_!"

The stunned Lotus members could only gape at her reckless outburst, but that shock soon ebbed into awe as she shifted into a rhythmic routine. Right out of the gate, her hands became engulfed in flames and she shot a few quick fire bursts. The bursts were easily extinguished with a snake of water she drew up from a puddle on the floor. Incidentally she caught one of the White Lotus sentry's pant legs on fire, but she swiftly put out the flame without even dampening his clothes. Matokka and I stared at each other in amazement. That was even better than we had practiced! I knew I should have been jealous, having a sister destined for greatness, but she really _was_ talented.

Except when it came to Earthbending. The next few moves were enacted by me. She stomped the floor hard once, twice, thrice, and then shoved her palms down. I copied from my hiding place behind the door, but beyond it, three pillars of earth rose up from the floor – one, two, three, then the power of my hands forced them to return to their previous state. The sentries could only stare at one another, dumbfounded, but impressed. Then, returning their gaze to our parents – who had by then guessed what I had done – they made one statement. "We will return soon to begin her training."

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And so they did. That next week they returned, and explained what was to happen. Apparently the Order had decided long ago what would happen once they found the new Avatar. They said that Aang had prepared for him or her so that they wouldn't make the same mistake he did.

Korra would move from our home into an isolated compound several miles outside of the village. At first, she protested, but she acquiesced once she realized that she didn't have much choice in the matter. It wasn't in her character to give up so easily, but eventually I figured out that she knew she would have to go if she ever wanted to become a full-fledged Avatar – which is all she had ever wanted to be.

There were many things that bothered me about the situation, but one thing in particular tugged at the back of my mind.

"What about us?" I asked my mother later.

"What do you mean?"

"They said that _Korra_ is moving into the compound. Are we going with her?"

Senna bit her lip and hesitated before replying. Kneeling down to my level, she allowed me to sit on her lap as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders like she always did when she wanted to comfort me. Before now, those arms had always kept me safe, kept me happy. They made all my troubles disappear. Every cold I caught, every bump I gave myself while earthbending, every tear shed after a fight with Korra or Matokka. But right then, those arms only felt limp and helpless. I could only guess what her next woulds would be. "Katalana, honey, I know it's going to be difficult, trying to adjust to not having her here, but things will eventually get back to normal. It just takes-"

"No!" I shouted, my fingers curling into tight fists. "I won't let that happen!"

"Katalana..."

"No! I won't let them take Korra away from us – away from _me_!"

"We don't really have a-"

"Yes we do! They can't take a child away from her parents – Avatar or not! And they sure can't separate sisters like me and Korra! Not twins! It's not fair!"

"I know, sweetie, but...it's for the best. Korra needs to learn how to bend now so she can prepare for...whatever may come."

"I know that. I just mean that, it doesn't matter when or where she's going because you literally can't separate us."

Senna gave me a quizzical look.

"I'm going with her."

Her gaze softening, she talked to me as if she felt like she'd lost another ounce or two of her strength. "Katalana, you know that's not reasonable."

"I don't care! I'm not going to let her go and be lonely for years and years! You have Dad, and if this happens then you'll have me too. But what about Korra? She won't have anyone to talk to but her cutthroat coaches and those uptight Order members. And I'd have Matokka, but it's not the same as spending time with your sister. Sisters, especially twins, need to stick together. Face it: she needs me just as much as I need her!"

After rubbing her temple, she let loose a tired sigh. "Alright. I'll speak with your father when he arrives home."

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Another week later and we were both at the compound. It wasn't anything fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but it sure was...solid. The outer walls were as thick as an igloo is wide, and as tall as three Polar Bear Dogs standing one on top of the other. And everything was gray, white, and Water Tribe Blue of course – but mostly gray. The walls, the buildings, the food – all gray. Yet Korra and I were thrilled to be there. Not only did the White Lotus accept me, they were willing to train me in everything that they would teach Korra. Of course we were tutored in normal school lessons and a few several special elective courses, but the majority of our time was spent in training. We learned all styles of bending (even if I couldn't use most of them), sword fighting, and the use of nun-chucks, throwing knives, and warrior fans. But the leaders of the Order _were_ concerned about the little trick that we did during Korra's demonstration. The Avatar has only ever been able to bend the elements in the order of the cycle, with their home nation's element coming first. For Korra that would have been water, earth, fire, then air. The problem with Korra's cycle was that she could bend water, but somehow skipped over earth and went straight to fire. After many days of debating the issue, the leaders decided to start teaching her water, and if earth happened to come along, then they would teach her that. If not, they would continue with fire and air, and hopefully earth would show eventually.

All bending concerns aside, life at the compound was bearable. Besides the grayness and the lack of our parents' presence, the only thing that perturbed me and Korra was the number of guards. We were never followed whenever we walked around, but there were at least two guards at every corner. Even outside our bedroom, there were guards posted on either side of the door. But we eventually learned to live with such a structured lifestyle. Almost every minute of every day was planned out for us, minus a few hours before dark, when we could have some time to ourselves. Korra actually enjoyed her lessons so much that she often stayed late to train, or practiced on her own, or she would go spend time in the stables with her pet Polar Bear Dog, Naga. I, on the other hand, would often sneak away from the compound (after cleverly befriending the gatekeeper early on). Of course the only places I would go were the various locations that Matokka and I went exploring. No one ever seemed to notice my absence. _I_ wasn't the Avatar. I could practically get away with murder as long as I wasn't seen doing it.

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Kat: Hey guys! So what'd y'all think of my first chapter? I know it's really long and the girls haven't even gotten to Republic City yet, but they will, I promise! Just...not right now. And it probably won't for about 5 or 6 chapters because the sisters' backstories shape a lot of who they are as teenagers. So bear with me on this. There's some great scenes coming up and I hope you like them. Each chapter until about the time they reach Republic City they will increase in age (five, eight, 12, 16, and they'll be 17 through the rest of Season 1).

BTW, a lot of times I like to add meaning behind character names. Katalana has no meaning, it's just my made-up name that I liked. So is Matokka (he'll be important later, though). But others from abooooouuuuut Chapter 5 or 6 on will have some here and there.

Anyway, this chapter has a lot of explanations and flashbacks and whatnot that reference "Avatar: The Last Airbender" (aka the prequel to "The Legend of Korra") and I did that mostly for people who haven't seen the one or both of the shows. Sorry if it distracts you from the story!

I might be able to get another chapter up today, but since I'm horrible at dividing 200+ pages into chapters, that may not be as likely as I hope.

So...yep, that's about it. Feel free to make a comment/review or send me a message. I'm anxious to hear your Comments, Questions, and Concerns (CQC's!) :D

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Final Note: I do not own The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, or any of it's characters, scenes, or plotline. I will try to mention when scenes are purely mine set in the Avatar World. For example, this entire chapter (except most of the demonstration scene) does not exist in the TV show but takes place in the Avatar World's Southern Water Tribe with Korra and her parents. Katalana &amp; Matokka, though, I will claim as my own characters! I truly hope you will grow to love them as much as I do!


	2. Chapter 2

Kat: Just a head's up, this is a reeeaaally weird chapter, but I promise I'll explain my intentions at the end. This chapter has one of my favorite scenes ever &amp; includes my fav character (besides Katalana) - okay, most of my fav scenes involve this character, but I don't care 'cause it's cute! ;)

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Several years dragged by, four to be exact, when something else drastic occurred. Something that no one could have ever anticipated.

Korra grabbed my shoulders and shook me relentlessly after many of the attendants had long gone to sleep. The two of us were sitting cross-legged on my bed, unable to get any rest. She squealed quietly, yet ecstatically, so as not to wake anyone. "Eek!"

Not being able to see in the dark, I reached my arms out in front of me. Finally, the faint outline of my sister came into view and I settled my hands on her shoulders in return, more to prevent my head from getting wrenched off my neck than to stabilize her.

"Okay, okay! I get it, you're excited!" I whispered.

"_Of course_ I'm excited! My waterbending test is tomorrow!"

"Again, I know. You've told me a thousand times!"

Nothing I had said seemed to register in her mind because she continued her fantasy. "If I pass, I'll be considered a master! I'll be like Katara!"

Katara. Even _that_ _name_ was legendary. She was the greatest waterbender, healer, spiritual leader, mentor, friend, and probably human, of all time. Though aged 75 years, she was still as powerful as ever. What made her all the better was that she had been happily married to Aang. He brought out the best in her, and her in him. But after his death, which she accepted graciously, she joined the White Lotus and eventually became Korra's (and my) teacher and companion. She was greatly admired throughout the world and history. It was an honor just to meet her, but to know and be taught by her was a true blessing.

Another squeak escaped from Korra's lips. "I'm going to be a master! _Me_! Can you believe it?"

"I know! I _know_! I've been with you this whole time! I was there when they announced you would _have_ a test! And remember, you still have to actually _take_ it; so stop acting like you've already done it!"

"I know, but I can't help it!"

"Okay, but calm down a bit, will ya'?" This time I shook her – not quite as violently as she shook me, but enough to get her attention.

At that, she sat back on her knees and her shoulders slumped a little. "Right. Sorry."

I chuckled at her enthusiasm. _Good grief_, I thought to myself,_ you'd think she'd just learned how to spell "Mount Piddlpaddlopsicopolis" or something!_

It was still difficult to see clearly, but I could have sworn her eyebrows knitted together into a hard glare. "Hey! I learned how to spell that months ago!" she whined.

I looked at Korra, my eyes widening. "What?"

She gave an exaggerated sigh, sat up straight, and began counting off the letters on her fingers. "Mt. Pippinpaddleopsicopolis. M-T-(period). P-I-P-P-I-"

In my astonishment I had to cut her off. Leaning forward on my hands, I looked her dead in the eyes. "Wait, you _heard_ that?"

"You mean, did I hear what you said about spelling the name of that mountain? Yeah, I heard it. And I'm not sure if I liked it!" she replied, crossing her harms over her chest.

"But I never _said_ that!"

"Huh?"

"The last thing I said was for you to calm down. I never _said_ anything about spelling. I just _thought_ about it."

Korra sat still for a moment, letting the information sink in. As soon as it worked its way through her mind, her eyes grew as wide as that shield from dad's warrior days that he hung up in our living room back home. "So...what does this mean? Did I just...read your mind?!" she asked, her voice rising.

In a flash my hands shot out and clamped over her mouth to cut off the sound. I let out a "Shh!" just loud enough for her to hear, but soft enough to remain discreet. Desperately hoping the guards didn't become suspicious, I glanced at the door. "I don't know... Let's try it again."

She nodded and I slowly drew away my hand. Next I thought of something really insane, hoping that Korra could "hear" it.

Almost immediately her eyes lit up and the corners of her lips turned up in a suppressed smile. She clamped a hand over her own mouth to keep from busting up.

"So you heard it?" I dared to whisper.

She quoted exactly what I had thought, word for word.

"So you _did_ hear it! You _can_ read my mind!"

Korra suddenly gasped, her arms flailing about in a sudden epiphany. "Wait, can _you_ read _my_ mind? Let's try it!"

I was about to agree to her proposition, but she had already squeezed her eyes shut and put her index and middle fingers to her temples. Whatever she was thinking about, she put a lot of effort into her concentration. Staring at her for a moment was how I passed the time trying to figure out whether or not I wanted to be able to read her mind. Pfft, like I wouldn't? I stared at her even harder than she had at me, concentrating just as forcefully as her, but without putting so much strain on my face. At first, there was nothing. No sound, no "thought waves," nothing. Honestly I wasn't even sure what to expect. But then...something caught my attention. I heard it. It was faint, but it was definitely there. _"Pickled sea prunes fried in noodle juice."_

Disgusted, I wrinkled my nose. Korra peeked an eye open, then relaxed her face into a smile. "You heard it, didn't you?"

I nodded.

_"__Aah! No way! This is _so cool_!"_ she thought excitedly, shaking her fists just to get out all her pent up energy.

_"__I agree! But..."_

Her expression fell instantly. _"But...what?"_

_"__But...we probably shouldn't tell anyone about this. Not even Mom and Dad. Not yet."_

_"__Why not?"_

_"__Because this is still new to us. This isn't normal. We should test it more before we go around advertising it."_

_"__Test it? How? On what?"_

_"__Not on what, on who. Maybe we could get Matokka to help us with it tomorrow – before your test."_

_"__Oh. Okay,"_ she accepted gloomily. But her demeanor brightened after a second or two. She poked me as she talked – or _thought_, rather. (That would take some getting used to.) _"You just want an excuse to go see _him_, don't you?"_

_"__Well duh, he's my best friend! Besides you, of course," _I added quickly, noticing her oncoming glare. _"Hey, we gotta tell at least one person about this, right? If we don't I think you'll explode!"_

_"__I guess I can't argue with that!"_

Glancing sidelong at my pillow, I sighed and thought _"Well, if we want any energy to test this, and for you to show off to the Order, then we should probably get some sleep."_

_"__I don't think I could possibly sleep with all that we've found out today! But you're right. I don't want to be exhausted before the day even begins!"_ With a dreamy sigh, Korra slid off my bed, crawled into hers along the opposite wall, and laid her head down on her pillow. I let my head fall onto mine as well when drowsiness tugged at my eyelids. The last thing I remembered was one faint thought. _"Goodnight, Katalana."_

I yawned one last yawn before sleep finally pulled me under.

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The village was quiet the next morning, and it should have been, considering it was still before dawn. The snow was thick underfoot and we had to awkwardly lift our legs up to the height of our knees to trudge through it. By the time we arrived at our destination, Korra and I were both panting, but our excitement wasn't tainted by our lack of oxygen. I raised a hand to wrap loudly on the door, when suddenly I felt something roughly grab my wrist and yank me off the ground. I didn't have to even look up to see who it was. He was laughing too hard.

I struggled in his grip, thrashing my arms and legs furiously, trying not to give him the satisfaction of being stronger than me. I may have been an Earthbender, but even with four years of training, I hadn't had enough time to build up much muscle! "Put me down, Matokka!"

The laughter only continued as the owner of the laugh raised me higher, bringing me face to face with him. Staring back at me was the mischievous grin of my best friend, Matokka. He was laying on the half-cylinder of ice blocks that served as the entrance to his igloo. One cheek rested on his palm while his other hand was clamped onto my wrist. _He_ may have been a _nonbender_, but he was still pretty darn strong for a ten year old.

"Why? There's such a good view from up here, see?" He nodded his head to direct my attention behind me, unceremoniously letting his shaggy dark hair flop over into his bright blue eyes. He fluttered his lips to blow the stragglers out of his line of vision.

Even though he made no indication that he was going to let me go until I turned to look, I didn't budge; I just glared at him. "Don't forget I have a free hand. And _don't_ think I'm afraid to use it!" I pulled back my free hand threateningly.

"Aw, you're no fun!" he drawled as he propped himself up and held out his opposite hand to pull me up as well.

Again, I didn't reach for it. "I can pull myself up, thank you very much!"

He shrugged. "Suit yourself!" And with that, he released his grip on my wrist, letting me tumble back into the snow. The powder swallowed me up, my limbs making impressions exactly where they landed.

I sat up and shook the flakes from my head, and stared up at him defiantly. "Jerk!" I teased. Snickering was my only response. Korra rolled her eyes and leaned down to help me to my feet. I accepted _her_ invitation, then jumped and let my fingers grab hold of the ledge. To avoid a leg that I kicked up, Matokka scooted back a few feet. It was awkward and kind of embarrassing, having to struggle so much to get onto the lower portion of the roof, but it was a relief to think that it was probably easier for me to get up there than him. I was taller than he was, so I had the advantage on that one.

"You two are so stubborn," Korra chided as she took my outstretched hands. Before I could make a retort, she kicked off the door frame and nimbly swung herself up. "See? Now _that's_ the way to do it!"

Matokka and I exchanged looks. I chuckled a "Pfft, whatever!" while he muttered, "Show off."

Leaning back against the dome of his house, he tucked his arms behind his head lazily. "So, what brings you two out here on such a cold, frostbitten morning?"

I shifted over to the middle of the roof and dangled my feet over the side before replying. "Okay, first off, _every_ morning is cold and frostbitten," I said sarcastically, though it was hard to keep the excitement out of my tone. "But we _do_ have two juicy announcements for you!"

Instantly his whole countenance glowed with excitement. "Ooh! Tell me, tell me!"

I glanced at Korra, who was situating herself so that she straddled the ice blocks. "Should we tell him?"

She thought for a moment, playing along. Matokka tugged on his hair impatiently. "Oh come on! You brought it up already, so now you _gotta_ tell me!"

We intentionally waited a few more agonizing seconds before we continued. We wanted to make sure he was about ready to make himself bald with curiosity before we revealed anything. "You tell him one, I tell him the other?"

"Works for me!"

"Guuuys!" Matokka complained, now leaning forward on his hands in anticipation. Obviously, Matokka was not the most patient person in the world. But then again, was there even a patient ten-year-old boy in existence?

"Oh, come ooon, you can't wait a few more minutes?" I teased.

"No! Just tell me! Out with it!"

"Okay, okay! Hold your ostrich-horses! Good grief, someone's impatient. Korra?"

The two of us turned to her expectantly. "Alright," she began dramatically, barely able to control her excitement. She held out her palms like she was about to say a magic incantation or something. "Okay, so you know how I'm the Avatar right? How I've been learning to professionally waterbend?"

"Yeah...? So...?"

"Katara and the White Lotus are going to test me today – I'm going to become an official master!"

Matokka sat back again, suddenly losing interest. "What? That's it? You're all excited about one little test?"  
Korra's face fell like a bomb dropped. "What's the supposed to mean? This is a _huge_ test!"

"I mean that's cool and all – for you. But that doesn't really affect me one way or the other." He waved a careless hand for effect.

"Does it have to? You can't just be happy for me?"

"Well yeah, I mean, I'm not saying that it doesn't _matter_, I'm just saying it doesn't matter all that much _to me_."

Korra and I rolled our eyes. "You are such a boy."

"Huh, imagine that!"

"One day, I'm gonna be able to bend all four elements – and you're really gonna wish you hadn't said that!"

"Riiight. I'll remember that."

"Whatever. Okay, Katalana. Next secret!" she said, tapping my leg repeatedly with her palm.

Matokka perked up again, his eyes shining mischievously at the word "secret".

"Okay, but-" I pointed an all-serious finger at him to make sure he knew I wasn't joking. "You have to _promise_ to keep it a secret. Promise promise _promise_ not to tell – in any way, shape, or form," I went on, emphasizing each promise more and more.

He eyed me suspiciously for a minute, deciding whether or not he wanted to trust me. He had made a verbal promise – with God and Korra as our witnesses – but that wasn't the end of it. Whenever Matokka and I made super duper _major_ promises, we had to do something disgusting beforehand, so that if either of us broke that promise, then the person who broke it would have to do that disgusting act three more times as punishment. And no matter what all we came up with, every time, without fail, the worst thing that we could _possibly_ think of doing...was kissing. Not a real, (gross) lovey-dovey kiss, but, uh, just a quick one, on the cheek.

Matokka kept eyeing me, still mulling it over. But as I predicted, curiosity got the better of him. He leaned forward and gave me a lightning fast peck on the cheek before immediately gagging and furiously wiping his mouth on his sleeve. While he took a a full over-exaggerated minute or two of that, I simply swiped the sleeve of my parka across my cheek, just once, and then he lifted his gaze back to us. "Okay, now that _that's_ over with, what's the secret?"

Korra and I glanced at each other. _"At the same time?"_

_"__At the same time."_

As agreed, in unison, we said in a hushed excitement, "We can read minds!"

Matokka stared blankly at us for a whole ten seconds before he doubled over, laughing uncontrollably. "Wow, you really had me going there for a minute! I thought you guys were serious! Of all the crazy things...!" He trailed off, his hysterical smile deepening into a furious frown. His cheeks blushed a brilliant shade of red – or as red as it could get in this freezing weather. "You made me promise for that? You made me kiss you for that? Of all the horrible, stupid, idiotic, embarrassing, _humiliating_ pranks! And you came up with this?!" He laughed sorely. "I'll admit it Katalana, this is good, this is just _great_! This has got to take the cake. This tops it all! This..." His rant went on for who-knows-how-long before we finally cut him off.

"_Enough_!"

The force of our shout was enough to knock him clean off the igloo. I was surprised we didn't wake up Makita [muh-KEEY-tuh], Matokka's mother, who was still sleeping soundly inside. Although, I guess Matokka probably would have woken her up first with all his ranting. But our order was enough to make him shut up for two seconds. I didn't think he realized that we could muster that kind of power in our nine-year-old girl lungs. "Matokka, we're not making this up."

His eyes narrowed menacingly. I returned the stare just as darkly, if not darker.

"We're not making this up," I repeated. "I wouldn't make you promise anything without a good reason. And I sure wouldn't make you _super promise_ for some stupid prank."

His stare held mine for a moment longer, then, he slowly let his eyes return to their normal shape, and his mouth turned from an angry frown to just a slightly suspicious one. "You're serious?"

"I would have eventually admitted if it was a joke," I grumbled bitterly.

To my surprise, Matokka lowered his gaze and sighed, almost apologetically, then looked up at us again. "Okay. Here's the thing – I _want_ to believe you, I do, but _reading minds_? Isn't that bordering on impossible?"

"Not any more so than bloodbending or metalbending. Those were considered impossible less than seventy years ago."

"Good point. But how can you _prove_ it?"

"Here, I'll show you." I leaned over to whisper something in his ear, but as I drew nearer, he jerked away suddenly, his cheeks growing two shades redder again. "What? I'm trying to tell you something! Now come here!" I ordered, waving him closer.

He let himself relax, looking somewhat embarrassed, then scooted forward to listen. After giving him my example sentence, I turned to Korra. "Okay, try to 'hear' what I said."

Korra scrunched up her eyes and nose, pressing her fingers to her temples again. Moments later her eyes snapped open and she repeated exactly what I told Matokka.

"Okay, I'm impressed, I'll admit. But how do I know that you didn't already know what Katalana was going to tell me?"

I sighed. I hadn't thought of that. "How about this? How about _you_ tell _me_ something, and I'll have Korra read that?"

Matokka reluctantly agreed, then sat and thought of something he could say – something that he didn't think that _we_ would think that he would have said. "Oh! I've got it!"

"So just tell her already!" Korra pressed anxiously. She wanted to prove our new-found ability to him just as much as I did.

"Alright, alright!" he said, waving her complaint away. Then he leaned forward and whispered his question.

Korra resumed her "mind reading face" and concentrated hard. Her eyes popped back open. "What kind of question is that? Go Otter-Penguin-sledding with you? Uh, yeah! Of course we'll go!" she said as though the answer was obvious – which it was.

That answer must have convinced him, because his lower jaw probably just cracked in two by how hard it hit the icy roof. "No. Stinkin'. Way."

"We tooold yooouuu!" we sang together.

"Whoa." He put his hands next to his head, fingers pressed together, then pulled the hands away and spread the fingers apart. "Mind. Officially. Blown." He paused, letting the full impact of this revelation sink in. "And you don't want to tell anyone about this?!"

"No!" we yelled, still in tandem.

"And you super promised!" I objected, pointing a shaky, accusatory finger at him.

"I don't know... It's almost worth it...!" he mused aloud.

"You tell and I swear I'll-" I stopped short when I realized what he was doing.

Shooting me a satisfied smirk, he continued. "So, you said you needed help with this. How so?"

I shot him another glare. Korra took over for me. "We wanted to see if we can read the minds of other people."

"Other people... You mean me?"

"No, Chief Unalokk – yes you!" she retorted.

"Well, what do you want me to think about?"

I rolled my eyes. "Well if we _told_ you anything, then it wouldn't work!"

"Oh. Right. Okay, I got-"

"Don't think about the same question you just asked!"  
"But how did you-"

"No, I wasn't reading your mind. That was just a guess." I folded my arms across my chest. "Just think of something else, okay?"

"Fine," he grumbled. "Okay, this time I really got something."

Staring straight at his forehead, I sat up straight and willed his thoughts to transfer into my own head. Wow, that would have been really scary once I stopped to think about it. All of my energy was focused on his mind. None of our worried mattered right then; not the cold, not the fact that we were sitting on a roof, not having to avoid waking up Makita, but...nothing came. With a glance back at Korra, it was obvious that she was having the same luck that I had had. I faced Matokka again. He was staring back at us expectantly. "Anything?"

I shook my head. Korra copied. Matokka grinned. "Looks like I can still think anything about anything and yooouuu'll never know what I'm thinkin'!"

"Who says we wanted to?" I shot back. "This is just a test run, and you're the only one we trusted enough to help us – _if_ you could call this trust, that is."

"Anything else you need me to do?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Nooot that I can think of at the moment," I answered, still thinking as I said it.

A mischievous grin crawled across his face again. That wasn't a good sign. I wish I'd realized his intentions sooner, for he reached over and shoved me off the roof again, creating in the snow a brand new imprint of sprawled limbs.

"Race you to Otter-Penguin Slope!"

"Hey!" Korra called as he took off and as I gathered my wits. "No one pushes my sister off of a roof except for me!"

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Kat: Chapter number 2 is complete...! At 2:00 AM...! When I say complete, I mean that it's already typed on my computer, but I have to re-read, edit, revise, re-read, re-edit, re-revise and so on about 3-5 times just to be safe and then post it here while adding/subtracting weird spacing issues that throw off the format (which is incredibly irksome).

Awwww! Little kids are so mean, but so adorable... Sorry. Is it sad to fawn over your own characters? I feel a little vain doing that... Awkward... :/

Anyway, I bet y'all are wondering as to why I made Korra &amp; Katalana able to read each other's minds. Right now, and through the next few chapters, it won't be all that significant, but once they reach Republic City, it will take on a HUUUUGE role. Mostly I use it when the sisters are in different locations at the same time and I need to tell both stories. Since the story is from solely Katalana's pov, the mind-reading helps her know what's going on without actually being there. Does that make sense? Well, it will later (b/c this ability connects more than just their thoughts, as you will soon discover)...

Also, my format for the dialogue may be kind of confusing to some, so let me explain that too...

Regular speech/dialogue: "It will look like this."

Mental/thought conversations: _"It will look like this."_

When one of them thinks to themselves: _It will look like this._

Voice over a radio/microphone: "_It will look like this_."

Again, hope this makes sense to everyone!

Credits: Avatar World + some characters (i.e. Korra &amp; Katara) = not mine. All of the scenes &amp; additional characters I can proudly call my own.

Okay, well this may be all I have for a while. Tomorrow I have a holiday off from school, but I've got a tooooooooon of homework that I've gotta do. So...yeah. I'm sorry to say that this may be it until Spring Break - if that! Maybe these last two chapters can keep y'all busy until then. Idk. Glad y'all enjoyed it! Please leave a comment/review/PM w/ your CQC's &amp; I'll get back to you As Soon As I Can (ASAIC)! (Lol! that's a thing, right? Well, if not, I just made it a thing). ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Kat: Hey guys! It's FINALLY Spring Break &amp; have a lil time to write, edit, and post again! This chapter, again, has a lot more of their backstory, and, again, it's one of my favs. I know I say that a lot, but I absolutely love love love every scene with Matokka! Ah! Well, hope you guys enjoy!

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Several more years dragged by – three to be precise – molding me and Korra into our awkward preteen phase. We both grew at a similar pace, and in similar ways, which I supposed was to be expected of twins. At twelve years of age, we had undergone several changes. The most noticeable of which was our height. Like fire lilies blooming in the late summer months, we'd both sprouted up more than a few inches taller. Although an uncomfortable, if not beautiful processes, that transformation made training difficult. At first it threw us off balance, though, over time, it became not only the norm, but it actually improved our skills as benders. We could run faster, jump higher, and reach farther than ever before.

Of course height was not the only change that came about in that period of our lives. Our bodies themselves became more feminine in more ways than one – the details of which will be omitted. And in addition to time, constant training brought about several more noticeable alterations. One being overall physical slimness. The natural pudginess of our childish bodies melted away, leaving us as fit and nimble as anyone. Thin waistlines, flat stomachs, and strong legs accompanied the muscle development of our arms. Earthbenders were often expected to have noticeably larger muscles than those of other nations. I, being an Earthbender, was beginning to transition from toned to muscular – but not in an awkward, boyish kind of way. Even though Korra was not yet an Earthbender she was rather toned herself. (Water- and fire- bending techniques were _never_ to be underestimated!)

But, going beyond our physical changes, Korra and I had uncovered more interesting and complicated secrets about ourselves and each other. Through another series of accidents (followed by controlled tests), we discovered that Korra and I could not only read each others' minds, but we could also hear, see, and feel what the other was hearing, seeing, or feeling – but only when one or both of us desired. Sight and sound were completely optional; the aspect of "feeling" was a little more complex. There were two different types of "feelings": emotional and physical. Emotionally, we always felt what the other felt whether we wanted to or not. Though we were usually able to choose to feel (or not to feel) something we came in contact with. If we wished to feel a sensation for ourselves, alone, then the original receiver took on the entire impact. On the other hand, if we chose to share, then the intensity of the sensation was less severe because it was split between the two of us. (Whether that was because we were twins or because Korra was the Avatar was unknown to us.) Also, as we had decided when we discovered our "mind-reading" ability, we never told anyone of those relations between us except for Matokka, and we tried our best to appear normal in the company of others.

That usually wasn't necessary, though; no one was ever around to notice those changes anyway. Or rather it was just that no one _cared_ to notice. Again, guards were everywhere, but none of them ever paid attention to anything we did unless it was against the rules – which we tended to bend or break a lot of actually – so basically they didn't pay attention to us beyond what their jobs required. Unfortunately that almost always ended unhappily-ever-after for everyone.

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Later that same year, Matokka and I were up to our usual antics. We were way out beyond the village, at the base of the Eyu Mountain Range. My eyes widened at the sheer monstrosity before me. The zenith reached so high it drew thin pencil lines through the clouds.

"You scared?" It wasn't a challenge to sense a taunting tone in that thirteen year old voice.

"No!" I answered immediately, defensively. An upraised eyebrow was his rather exaggerated sign of skepticism. I lowered my guilty gaze and twisted the hem of my shirt around my fingers. "Okay, maybe a little."

My twinge of fear arose from our reason for our being so far from town. Not many days before, Matokka had been up in the mountains and stumbled upon a series of caves. The way he described them made them sound like other worlds: each one ranged from the length of one igloo to the length of our village in depth, the ceilings hung down like deadly fangs, water dripped from those fangs like the venom of sinister copper-rattlers, and the inky blackness could squeeze out every last atom of air from one's lungs.

On his first trip he had been out there alone – which was insane – but somehow he convinced me to join him on his second escapade. He _claimed_ that he only wanted to explore further, hoping that my bending would be the perfect tool to tunnel deeper, but I knew he just wanted to creep me out. His tall-tales of fangs and suffocation aside, mountain caves were known to be home to Badger-Moles, Cave Crawlers, and worse yet – Wolf-Bats. I had only seen a Wolf-Bat once in my life, and it was an experience I did not care to repeat. A tingling shiver crept up my spine as I imagined its purple-ish, wrinkled face, those long hairy ears, those thick-skinned wings that flapped so forcefully I could hear the rush of the air beneath them. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I trembled at the memory. I pulled my parka tighter around my body, hoping to God that if Matokka had seen my little convulsion, he would think that I was only cold.

My head was yanked down out of the clouds when something hard struck my ear. One of my hands instinctively shot up to my ear, checking for blood or any other signs of injury. The other was clenched tightly, ready to fend off whatever caused my pain. As soon as I reacted, there was the sound of stifled snickers...which escalated into full-on laughter. Whirling around to face Matokka, I saw him double over, the corners of his eyes wet with tears of hysterical joy. He mimicked his previous action, flicking one finger as if to burst a bubble and smacking his lips to make a satisfying pop. Furious, I lowered both hands to my sides, fingers strained into even tighter fists. I seriously wanted to punch that smile right off his face, but I restrained myself, for those caves actually had at least sparked my interest – and I kind of needed him to show me where they were. But that didn't diminish the anger simmering within my gut. I glared at him, trying to burn a hole right through his forehead with my stare.

"Oh, don't give me that," he teased, still snickering. Irritated, but acquiescent, I let my shoulders relax and eyes un-narrow as his respective features tensed and lit up. "Race you to the top of Paku Peak!"

"You're on!"

Just the thought of competition – and revenge through a humiliating defeat – was enough to force adrenalin to course through my veins. In the interest of fairness, I squatted to draw a light starting line in the snow, but by the time I stood up, Matokka had already taken off, leaving a fresh trail of kicked-up powder in his place.

Upon noticing his trick, I took off after him. "Hey! Not cool!"

Yelling probably wasn't the best move right then because every labored breath brought a rush of sharp, frozen air into my lungs. My feet carried me faster and faster up the mountainside, bringing me closer and closer to Matokka. Even though I was gaining on him, I still wanted to put him to shame. Thinking quickly, I thrust my fists downward. Beneath me the ground rumbled softly before a drastic shift caused the earth to split. A platform just large enough for me to stand on jutted out, launching me a ways upward and forward. I then launched myself again – and again and again and again!

Matokka, completely focused on his every breath and step, never even noticed until I was far ahead of him. "Hey! No fair! You're a bender!" Laughing, he ran faster.

"Serves you right for taking a head start!" I shot back over my shoulder. The crisp mountain air was cold and inviting as it stung my face and whipped my hair behind me, and I grinned as I kept launching myself up to the mountain's apex.

Finally at the peak, we both rested our hands on our knees as we gasped for air in the thin atmosphere. "I...win!"

Matokka looked up and brushed his bangs out of his eyes as he attempted to steady his breathing. He pointed a finger at me as he spoke, his chest still heaving. "You, Katalana...are one..._devious_ racer...but one..._incredible_ earthbender."

My cheeks were already tinged pink from the cold and exercise, but even so, they must have flushed a whole shade darker. I simply smiled a thank you and turned to look at the view.

"Pretty co-ol, hu-uh?" he observed in satisfaction.

As it turns out, Korra and I weren't the only ones who had changed. Then thirteen, Matokka had definitely changed as well. He'd definitely gotten taller, and was about equal in height with us, but the differences didn't stop there. His shoulders had widened, his voice deepened (even if it did crack every now and then), his hair had gotten longer, and his facial features were still young and rounded, but slightly more defined. The only things that remained constant were his mischievous grin and bright blue eyes that bore a strikingly accurate resemblance to the deep, swirling ocean depths.

"You said it!" I agreed. My thoughts wandered as I stood taking in the view. The South Pole may have looked like just a huge slab of ice to some people, but to us, it was paradise. The golden sun was just rising over the snow-smothered mountaintops, casting elongated shadows over the tundra. We felt so close to Heaven that I couldn't even make out our silhouettes at the tip of the mountain's ashy silhouette miles away. From there, on top of the world, we could see just about everything we knew as home. In one direction, to our right, was our quaint little town, where all of the villagers were still tucked safely in bed. To the left was the compound, where Korra would wake up to train in a few hours. A disappointed huff escaped my lips as I stared down at the fort. For years that citadel had been our home, yet it never really felt like a _home_. It was always so...isolated.

A happy sigh from Matokka snapped me out of my little trance. "Couldn't you just live up here?"

I sat down, crossed my legs, and thought for a moment before replying. "Maybe." Laying back in the snow, I felt the coldness of it seeping through my parka and my clothes, right down to the skin. Its sharp chill bit into my back and arms like a thousand little pinpricks, but it felt good despite it being twenty below. "The view is wonderful, no doubt, but I think it would get kind of lonely, don't you think? Living so far away from the rest of the village... It's too far away from other people."

"I guess." He shrugged and sat down next to me. From his expression, I assumed he knew I wasn't talking solely about the mountaintop, but he didn't dig into it. He gazed out over the ice, amazed, yet there was something about his expression that just seemed...off. The corners of his lips were turned down, his eyebrows knitted together as if in concentration, and his eyes were soft and distant. In appearance and attitude both, he looked sad. We sat there in silence, the wind silently brushing his long bangs away from his sapphire eyes. Neither of us moved until the sun had nearly reached the clouds.

To break the tension between us, I brought myself into a sitting position and punched him playfully, "Hey, you wanna go check out those caves now?"

Immediately his face lit up like it was Christmas morning. "Uh, yeah!" His expression soured and he rubbed his arm in pain. "And O-OW! You earthbenders are stronger than you lo-ok!"

"Sorry, and thanks. Now come on!" I jumped up and brushed off the snow and dirt that clung to my clothes, then yanked Matokka to his feet and practically shoved him forward. Our descent proved to be much slower than when we came up, for tripping on such a rocky slope would not end well, but we resumed running anyway. Another race? Definitely. We were neck and neck at the start; Matokka pulled ahead soon enough. But before we made it even halfway down, he skidded to a stop, nearly toppling over as inertia took hold of him. He waited for a moment, his back turned to me, but then...I watched in horror as the earth beneath him crumbled. He had no time to try to escape the sudden disappearance of the ground below him. I reached out in a vain attempt to grab him, but inertia traded him with gravity faster than of what my reflexes were capable, and he plunged beneath my line of vision.

"Matokka!" After getting down on my hands and knees, I leaned carefully over the edge where he'd fallen. And, thinking quickly, I concentrated hard on the rocky cliff-side and punched both fists out in front of me with about as much force as a war ship plowing through ice on the eve of battle. In response to that movement, a long, angled slab of earth slid out of the mountainside, along with snow disturbed from its resting place. There was no way for me to control how thick the snowy blanket was – seeing as waterbending was not my specialty – and I prayed that it would be enough to save him, inflicting as little damage as possible. Leaning further out over the edge, my eyes scanned the slope for my friend. It took me several terrified minutes to spot him, but, finally, I caught sight of the faint outline of his panicked limbs among the whiteness. As soon as I spotted him, I crawled to a safer, longer slope and slid carefully down to meet him. Upon reaching his landing point, I knelt beside his limp body. His eyes were closed, his mouth creased in a thin frown, but I heaved a huge sigh of relief when I saw his chest rhythmically rising and falling with each steady breath. "Matokka?" I whispered nervously. There was no reply. Gently, I laid a hand on his shoulder and tried to rouse him. "Matokka?" I repeated. The tension within me writhed with each second he didn't respond. I nudged him again. Finally, it was barely noticeable, but I could have sworn I had seen his lips move ever so slightly. There was no sound as he tried to form words, but after a weak cough, there was a voice, barely audible, but it was just strong enough to recognize its familiar sarcastic drawl. "And you couldn't have sensed that landslide any sooner?"

I laughed, more out of relief than for his terrible remark. _Oh Lord, thank you!_ "You're okay!"

His eyelids fluttered open. He remained on his back, but he slowly turned his head and attention to me. "For someone who ju-ust plu-unged twenty-plus feet onto a hard slab of rock, ye-ah, I'm doing gre-at." His voice cracked again as he struggled to sit up.

Overcome with relief, I launched myself on him, gripping him in a tight hug. The impact caused him to veer back a bit, out of both shock and probably pain, but, once recovered, he wrapped his arms around me in return. "You're okay," I said again, trembling. I squeezed him harder, and my eyes tighter, trying to convince myself that his fall wasn't as bad as I had feared when he disappeared from my sight. "You're okay, you're okay, you're okay...!"

He was shaking too, more afraid than he was willing to let on, yet he somehow regained control faster than I did. We remained in that position for longer than was probably necessary, but Matokka made no attempt to pull away until I was ready to release him.

Trying to steady my shaking voice, I finally asked him, "You _are_ okay, right? No broken bones?"

He sat for a moment, curling his fingers, bending his elbows, wiggling his toes, testing each individual joint. (I think he did that more for me than out of actual need to). "No, nothing broken."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" I asked, my voice overflowing with concern.

An annoyed, but lighthearted eye-roll flickered across his face. "_I_ am fine. Are _you_ alright? You seemed more scared than I was!"

"I was not!" I exclaimed instinctively so as to defend my reputation. Honestly, though, he was right. Deep down – or, perhaps not-so-deep-down – I was terrified that I'd lost him. When those rocks shook loose...and when I could no longer see him... I pushed the horrid memory aside. It would only upset me more to think about what my life would have been like without him. Besides, I'd just had an irritating epiphany. He'd made fun of me (which was no surprise) but it wasn't until then that I realized Matokka had just made me feel better by insulting me. Ironic.

He flashed a satisfied smirk; he knew I was lying. That was the one thing about our friendship that was both amazing and incredibly annoying. Ignoring his taunt, I changed the subject. "So what made you stop so suddenly?!"

Matokka's face fell instantly. "You're never going to believe me, but I could have sworn I heard something up there." He turned his head to motion to the place he had stood before. "It was strange. It sounded like some kind of cry, like something – or _someone_ – in pain."

I glanced up as well, walking my eyes along the cliff in search of any sign of life. There was a rabbit-vole or two about, but nothing that would describe Matokka's mystery sound. "Then let's head back up there and look some more – if you're up to it, that is."

Nodding, he agreed. "Slowly though, I do _not_ wanna live through that again."

I could have made a really mean joke just then, but I let it slide. (No pun intended.) I nodded in agreement as well. Standing slowly myself, I leaned down to help Matokka stand as well. As I did, his face contorted into an obvious show of pain; he sucked in a sharp breath through gritted teeth, and leaned heavily on one foot while reaching down to grab his opposite ankle.

"You are _not_ okay!" I exclaimed, holding him upright.

He rubbed his ankle, his face still a little twisted, but he refused to revert his claim on the subject. "As I said, I'm _fine_. It doesn't feel broken. Sprained, maybe, from landing on it funny, but not broken."

"Are you sure? I can help you home if you need me to. After that I can come check out the noise, or we can come back together another time."

Stubbornly he shook his head. "No, it's not that bad. I just wasn't expecting that. I can go. Besides," he paused, the corners of his lips turned down slightly. "You have to head home in a few hours anyway. I don't want you to have to go back any earlier than you have to."

I smiled gratefully, then childishly. "You know me so well." And it was true. Although I didn't exactly _hate_ living in the compound, I would rather be out exploring with Matokka than in there training any day.

With the frozen grass crunching underfoot, we headed back up the slope – extraordinarily slowly that time. Upon reaching the fall point, we stopped and listened. It was deathly silent. We waited. We waited some more, and still there was no sound but our nervous breaths. We had almost given up when we heard it – a long, low, wailing sound, and it came from not too far away.

Slowly, softly, we scoured the area. "Hey," I whispered, nudging Matokka. "What's that over there?" To clarify, I pointed to our right.

Matokka squinted and leaned toward me to see from my point of view, attempting to get a glimpse of whatever it was I saw. "I don't know. It looks similar to those cave entrances I keep finding."

"'Keep finding'? You say that as if you've been out here multiple times."

He grinned mischievously. "Maybe I have, maybe I haven't."

"You, Matokka, have a major death wish."

"Come on, you 'fraidy mouse-cat! Let's go check it out!"

We crept close, trying not to frighten whatever was inside. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as we neared the cave entrance. Taking a step inside was like hitting a wall of heat. It was so warm and dank, and the moisture seemed to cling to our skin. Our thick, cloudy breaths vanished instantly. "This place gives me the creeps," I whispered, my words echoing softly off the cavern walls.

"Oh, it's not that bad. You're just-" He cut himself off.

"Just...what?"

His voice took a low tone. "Shh. Look."

I followed his gaze, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dimness. There was nothing particularly unusual about the cave. It was dark, warm, and wet, and had tall walls that rounded into a jagged ceiling. Stepping deeper into the tunnel, it became clear what Matokka was shushing me for. The delve had once extended much further into the mountainside. I could tell because, from the vibrations in the floor, it tunneled far beyond what I could see, but maybe ten or fifteen feet from the entrance was a thick wall of stone. There had been a cave-in. Before us lay an enormous heap of boulders and rubble, and alongside it was dust that had settled not long ago. Maybe a day or two ago at the most. Upon closer inspection, I believed I had located the source of Matokka's mystery sound. Lying with half of its body beneath the debris was a small animal, not much larger than my hand. For its size, it was long and skinny – emaciated even – and had four stubby legs. The poor creature was withered and frail; it's monotonous gray fur was all matted with blood, and its big round eyes were starting to glaze over. I recognized the species of dog-like mammal right away. It was a very young Pygmy Wolf-Fox, one that was clinging desperately to its last shred of life.

Looking at me, Matokka whispered as calmly as he could manage while in the presence of such a horrific sight. "Katalana, we have to help. Use your earthbending to move the rocks – carefully – while I try to keep her calm."

"Got it," I nodded firmly.

He inched closer to the infant. It squealed helplessly and tried digging the remaining nubs of her claws into the icy rock to pull itself out. Matokka paused, and the squealing stopped. As he crept closer it began again. By the time Matokka reached the pup it had worn itself out. He sat down and lifted his hand to pet her. She cowered, still screeching in a weak voice; she gave up when her strength wore out. Placing two fingers on her head, he led them gingerly down the back of her skull and spine, smoothing down her scraggly fluff. The baby mewed softly, obviously sapped of energy, but used what little energy she possessed to show her thanks. Matokka continued this motion, speaking softly to her. _Who knew Matokka could be so tender?_ I thought. I came to attention when he looked up at me and nodded. "Go ahead."

Prior to this, I had also been working out how I was going to help. I took my stance, feet planted apart, rock solid, just like I was taught. Concentrating on the boulders overhead, I gripped the air above me and pulled firmly back toward me. The rocks rumbled and groaned as if they were beasts woken from a deep slumber. Then, warily, cautiously, I guided them down, one by one, into a neat pile on either side of me. When there were only a few left, I rushed over to them and Matokka and I shoved the last few aside, freeing the small pup. She whimpered in pain; her enormous blue eyes shone with gratitude.

"She's lost a lot of blood. Unless treated immediately, she won't last much longer. We need to get her back to the Tribe," Matokka reported anxiously.

"We do, but we can't move her. Some of her bones may be broken; we might injure her more."

"So what should we do?"

"Here, step back. I'll show you." With a questioning look, but without protest, he obeyed. I stomped the ground with my heel and the earth beneath the Pygmy Wolf-Fox raised itself about three inches above the surrounding area. And finally, I sliced my hand through the air and the pedestal on which she rested cut clean through, and it hovered in mid air.

Matokka raised his eyebrows and he pressed his lips together in a lopsided grin. "Impressive."

"Thank you. Now let's get out of here before there are any other accidents!"

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"Can you save her, Katara?" I asked hopefully. Matokka and I had rushed back into town – well, as fast as we could rush with Matokka's limp. We had gone straight to Katara, who lived in the largest structure in the village – the healing hut. We had burst through the doors – again, as well as we could – and slid the doors back to her examination room. Inside was simple, yet traditional in appearance. It was short, wide, and long. The walls were Water Tribe Blue, and lined with shelves and shelves of medicines and exotic herbs. In the center of the room was a long, shallow pool, almost like the Baptism pool at the church, and kneeling over it was Katara. She may have looked old, with her white hair loopies and wrinkled features, but even in her seventies, she was still as powerful as ever.

After having her examine the pup, she said soothingly, "Don't worry, Katalana. She has taken quite a beating, but she will be fine. Like you and your sister, she's stubborn and strong willed. If she wasn't, she probably would not have survived as long as she did."

"So what can we do to help?" Matokka asked as we sat on the floor beside Katara's low-lying exam table. He stretched his leg out and cringed as he rotated his sprained ankle. Trying to relieve at least his mental pain, I rested a hand on it comfortingly. We both knew that he would be trapped at home for a while to heal – which was something he hated more than anything in the world, sitting still. But what was worse was that he also had to be sitting still with his mother around. Makita was always a wonderful mother and friend...and extraordinarily over-protective of her son after the death of her husband and his father.

Katara eyed his injured leg with a look that revealed that she knew we had been doing something stupid to cause it, but her expression softened as she remembered the Wolf-Fox. "Well, I don't see much that you two could do seeing that I've just finished bandaging her up, so really all you have to do is name her."

"Huh?" we asked, exchanging confused looks. "Name her?"

"Well we can't very well go around caller her a 'her', a 'she', or an 'it' forever, now can we?"

Matokka glanced at the waterbender questioningly. "What about her pack?"

"Her family is probably long gone. There haven't been any Wolf-Foxes – pygmy or otherwise – around here in years. I'm sorry to tell you this, but her mother probably went up to the mountain to have her pups when the cave collapsed." Matokka and I looked at the infant sadly. She was still weak, but her entire demeanor had changed. She was sitting up; her eyes were no longer frosty, but a light aquamarine blue, and the corners of her lips were pulled back into what could have been a smile, revealing a pink tongue and the healthy nubs of what would grow into sharp, gleaming teeth. "Hey now, how about that name?"

Matokka sat and thought for a minute before he asked me, "How about Tenille?"

"No."

"Kaori?"

"No."

"Birkita?"

"Ew, no. Shylah, then?"

"Nah. Oh! Naja?"

"Mm," I hummed, "I like it, but that sounds too much like Naga. Kellina?"

"Minka?"

"Aleen?"

"Khani?"

"Perfect!"

"Perfect? What kind of name is – oh." A tinge of red crawled across his cheeks when he realized his mistake.

I shook my head and laughed. "Wow, Matokka, just...wow."

Katara smiled in her grandmotherly-type way and addressed Matokka. "Well, now that that's been settled, let's see about that sprain." Matokka's smile faded instantly. "Come now, it won't hurt for but a second." He grimaced disbelievingly, but scooted toward the old woman and rolled up his pant leg for her to scrutinize the damage. She looked it over carefully, searching for any discoloration and feeling along the sides for any bruising or unnatural lumps. "Oh, it's not that bad. You'll be on your feet again by next week."

"Next week!"

"Tut tut! It could have been much worse! If it was broken, you'd be lying in bed for two months!"

Matokka opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. He knew she was right. As he sat there in silence, Katara raised her hands a bit and waved a stream of water from the pool to cover her hands. She made the liquid vibrate and pulsate, letting the glow course through it, then she placed her hands gently on his ankle and bended the water so that it encased the injury. Cringing, my friend squeezed his eyes shut and took a sharp, pained breath, but he soon relaxed as the water soothed away the ache deep within his muscles.

When she had finished, she poured the water back in the pool and she and I helped Matokka to his feet. "Just come back and see me every few days or whenever you feel any pain."

Leaning on his good foot, he tipped his head and said, "Yes ma'am. Thank you."

Katara smiled at his polite gesture, and said to him, "Such a kind young man." Then to me she waved an instructive finger. "Now you take good care of him, alright?"

After that comment, it was my turn to blush. I only nodded and gave her a respectful, "Yes ma'am, Katara," before preparing to leave. Turning to Matokka, I took his hand and pulled it around my shoulder.

"What are you do-oing?!" he asked, his voice cracking nervously.

"Letting you lean on me, you doofus!" I explained, not understanding his discomfort. "Come on, let's get you home. There's sure to be an oncoming rant from your mother, but we can take it, huh?"

"Right. Let's just get this over with." Then, remembering something, he paused. "Wait, what about Khani?"

"Oh, right." I looked longingly at the pup's adorable and shining face. "I don't know if I can take her. The Order has really strict rules about, well, everything. I highly doubt they'd let me keep a pet."

"Well, I'd have to ask my mom. She has a real soft spot for animals, but I couldn't say she'd let me keep her either. _Buuut_...maybe if she knew I got injured trying to _help_ her, then maybe – _juuust_ maybe – she'd lighten up on her rant _and_ let me keep her."

I grinned at his backwards logic. "It's worth a shot!"

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Kat: *sigh* Ah, fanfiction...what would I do without it?! Since I'm on break, I might have more time to post, but I also have hmwk to do so I'll have to see what I can get done. Really hoping I can continue! Anyway, so...this was another scene between Katalana &amp; Matokka - with the introduction of Khani &amp; re-introduction of our beloved waterbender, Katara!

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Also...idk if you guys noticed or not - 'cause I didn't notice this until months after I'd written it - the sun should not rise or set in the South Pole. I did a major facepalm when I realized that I'd written it to do so. I would have changed it, but it kind of goes along with the story so it'd make no sense if I altered it to stay either light or dark throughout the whole time they're in the Southern Water Tribe. So...sorry about that. :/ ;)

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I do not own the Avatar universe or any of its characters, settings, or themes. I will take credit for basically this entire chapter save Katara. :)

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K, well, thazzit! Leave a CQC and I'll get back to y'all ASAIC!


	4. Chapter 4

Kat: Yay! Another chapter uploaded! I gotta say, this one is relatively short compared to the others. It's still technically part of the backstory, but it gives a little more insight to the girls' more immediate problems. Hope this doesn't deter you from reading because the next chapter is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE CHAPTER OF ALL TIME. Like NO JOKE, all time fav. So, please, go read it. It should be up within the next few days. I'm dying to know what y'all think! :D

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Another four years flew by without a second thought, and again much more changed. As it turned out, Matokka knew his mother pretty well, because her rant was not as extreme as it would have been once she knew the whole story – and she her heart melted at the sight of Khani and allowed her son to keep the pup. And over time, Matokka had healed and was back to his usual self, although he did tend to be more careful after that incident. Not a whole lot, but a little.

And he wasn't the only one. Korra and I changed more as well.

Appearance-wise, we were basically the same. We were born fraternal, but no one could have guessed that unless they studied us closely. We really _did_ look identical. We had the same cocoa-tinted, Water Tribe skin; the same graceful heart-shaped faces; the same rounded eyes; the same narrow, oval noses; the same thin-lined lips; the same medium-ash colored hair, naturally straight, cut just above our elbows when left loose. With so many congruent physiognomies, hardly anyone could tell us apart. The most "noticable" difference between our appearances was our eye color. My eyes were forever a constant, emerald, Earthbender green. Korra's eyes were...a little more interesting. Her eyes changed colors, depending on which element she had most recently used. If her last element was water – as it most commonly was – then her eyes would be the most vibrant, Waterbender blue. Or, if she had last been firebending, then her eyes would fade into a luminous, Firebender amber.

But Korra's eye color was not the only thing that changed. As the two of us grew older, our personalities developed as well. We did not _grow_ apart, but our differences did _set_ us apart. Korra had grown strong and rebellious both physically and mentally – meaning that her teenage actions usually yielded unwanted consequences. On the other side of the spectrum, I grew strong, as she did, but I had learned to _control_ my strength. My childish toughness mellowed, and, as so many adults put it, I had matured and blossomed into a beautiful young lady.

And one particular night, my and Korra's sixteenth birthday, was a night that we had long awaited, and where we would be seen as _official_, _respectable_ young ladies...

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"Korra! Korra? You in here?" I asked, knocking lightly on the door to our room. After unbolting the heavy metal lock via bending, I peeked inside. As suspected, Korra was lying horizontally on her bed with her legs kicked up against the wall and her head hanging over the edge. She was still in her everyday clothes – a fitted, powder blue top, baggy steel blue pants, tan sealskin boots, and a triangle-patterned arm band wrapped around her right humerus. "You're still not dressed?"

Her hair swept the floor as she craned her neck to look at me up-side-down. Then she lifted her hands and swept them over her stomach like I'd said something incredibly stupid. "I _am_ dressed."

Only slightly annoyed, I gave her an exaggerated eye-roll and rested a hand on my hip. "For the _party_."

Waving a careless hand she replied, "I'll get up in a minute."

"Korra, there are tons of guests waiting down the hall already."

"They can wait." She flipped over on her stomach and propped her head up on her hands. "Was there something you needed?"

"Oh, nothing in particular," I said coyly, looking conspicuously toward the far corner of the room. Korra raised a suspicious and interested eyebrow. "Okay, yesterday Matokka told me to wait for him by the gate late tomorrow evening – meaning tonight."

"Later tonight?" she asked, confused. "Why didn't you invite him to the party?"

"I did, but he said he wanted to surprise me with something. He didn't want me to see him until afterward. Can't imagine whatever for," I added with a slightly disappointed huff. "This is one of the biggest nights of our lives and he doesn't even want to come to the party? And if that wasn't enough, he wouldn't even come just because I asked him. What's up with that?"

Korra shrugged a little too carelessly and rolled over onto her back again. "Beats me."

My expression tensed into a suspicious glare. "Do you know something that I don't?"

"No."

"Are you sure? I'll be able to tell if you're lying."

Irritated, she flipped onto her stomach again and gave me a hard stare. "You really need to pull that on me? I don't know anything." Her gaze softened, almost apologetically, as her eyes fell to the floor. "Nothing solid, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

Sighing, she shook her head. "Look, I have a hunch about something, but I couldn't and wouldn't tell you even if I wanted to."

"Why not?" I demanded.

"It would ruin everything!"

"Ruin what? How so?"

"I can't answer that."

"What do you mean by _that_?"

"I can't say! Katalana, please, just leave this alone," she answered finally.

I opened my mouth to make a retort, but I closed it again. Something about the desperation in her voice stopped me. She never sounded desperate. Even when we wrestled as kids and I had her in a choke hold she never sounded desperate.

Finally, I did as she said and dropped the subject. Brightening up the mood, a smile broke out across my face when an idea hit me. "Hey, do you want to come with me later? It could be the three of us together again, just like old times. How about it?"

For a moment she hesitated, still stuck on our previous conversation. She settled on a cordial, but tired reply. "Nah, I think I'll stick around here for a bit. But go have yourself a good time, alright?"

Ignoring her lack of enthusiasm, I hooked a thumb over to our room divider. "Fine, but you should too. It's our birthday. You should at least _try_ to enjoy the party. I mean, after all, we _are_ the guests of honor!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going, I'm going! But you should too! Now _get_!"

"He told me not to come until the party was over – or nearly over, at least."

She gave me a look.

I rolled my eyes playfully and raised my hands defensively as I turned and left the room. "Alright, alright! I'm gone!"

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The dining hall was filled to the brim with people when the two of us joined the party a short while later – which mostly consisted mostly of servants, guards, upper-level White Lotus members, and a bunch of other people we didn't really know. But, at one of the low-lying tables on the far right side of the room sat a happy group of people we _did_ know, and knew very well. They were huddled together, smiling and laughing and making a friendly conversation when Korra and I approached them. Nearest to us were our parents, still young and happy and deeply in love, ready to celebrate their daughters' special night. To their left was our "headmaster" of sorts – the man who came to see Korra's demonstration all those years ago. Next to him sat Katara, and beside her was her family, or most of it, anyway. Beside her was her youngest son, Tenzin [TEN-zin]. He was certainly the tallest man that any of us knew, and towered above the rest of us, even sitting down. He had a long, narrow face with a sharp, pointed chin and nose, with an even sharper jet-black beard. His head was bald, but not vacant. A very familiar, sky blue arrow tattoo – a familiar _Airbender_ tattoo – came over his shaved head to rest between his thick eyebrows. In the opposite direction, the arrow stem led down his back, arms, and legs, to end in arrowheads on the back of his hands and the tops of his feet. But of course, all but his head and hands were covered in flowing robes of red and gold. Pema [PEM-muh], his wife, sat patiently to his left, across the table from their three children – Jinora [jih-NOR-uh], Ikki [EEK-ee], and Meelo [MEE-low]. The group looked up when we sat down with them and gave us a round of "happy birthdays!" and "congratulations!". We all had a grand time talking and mingling with the throng of guests until about eight o'clock, when our headmaster tapped his glass with a knife to make an announcement. All eyes turned to the front of the room.

"Good evening," he began, then coughed to clear his throat. "Good evening. For those of you who don't know, I am Hankota, the Master of this compound, and I would like to say a few words."

Korra leaned over to me and thought, _"Well this should be interesting. Him, making an announcement? I wonder who he's going to offend this time."_

Grinning, I shushed her and led my eyes back to the front of the room.

"Tonight, as we all know, is a very special occasion. Tonight is the night we celebrate the sixteenth year of the company of two very special girls – Avatar Korra, and her sister."

There was a polite, yet exuberant burst of applause throughout the room.

_"__Ding ding ding! We have a winner!"_ Korra laughed, clapping along half-heartedly. _"He didn't even care enough to use your name. You're just 'her sister'."_

_"__Oh, it's not _that_ big of a deal. It's not like I'm not used to it."_

_"__True, but I mean, come on! This is a 'very special occasion'. You'd think he'd use a little common courtesy."_

I simply rolled my eyes and continued listening to Hankota [hawn-KOH-tuh].

"But, even more importantly, we have a very special surprise for you girls. Would you two care to come up here?"

_"__No, not particularly,"_ we thought together, but we both stood up and made our way to the stage.

"Now ladies, we know that you both have trained very hard for these past twelve years-" His statement was interrupted by a moment of cheering. "And we would like to congratulate you on that achievement-" More clapping. "But, your journey is not over yet. Korra, you have learned to master water and fire, correct?" Korra opened her mouth to answer, but he continued his speech without a pause for reply. "And for some unknown reason, you have failed to learn earthbending – unlike your sister. We would like to correct this problem, of course, so we have come up with an interesting solution."

_"__Ooh, a two-for-one special!"_

"We – The Order of the White Lotus – your parents, and others, have agreed to send you to Republic City. Master Tenzin has graciously allowed you and Katalana to live on Air Temple Island to learn Airbending under his instruction."

That announcement was enough to make me and Korra scream – in a good way. After over a decade of incessant and repetitive training in water, earth, and fire, we were aching to move on to something new. A new subject, a new technique, a new element. Our last element. We were finally getting a chance to see another part of the world – another part of the world that wasn't buried under twenty feet of snow and ice. Aaand we would get the opportunity to learn from not only our friend and son of the former Avatar, but the only Airbending master left in the world.

_"__Republic City?! Train with Tenzin?! Can you believe it?!"_ Korra thought to me excitedly.

_"__Hardly. It'll be difficult leaving our home, but if we can live out our dream, travel the world, and see you become a fully-realized Avatar, then I'm willing."_

_"__That's good to hear."_

Hankota had one last announcement: "You leave in two days."

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Kat: So...hope that wasn't too short or boring of a chapter. It kind of is for me until I get to the parts with Korra's sarcasm. Lol! The next chapter is seriously my fav. It's really really really super duper long, so get ready for roller coaster ride of feels! Like seriously. Read it. Please. CQC and lemme know what you think! :D

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This isn't really related to the text, but with views. I'm still kind of new to the whole 'having people look at my published stuff' thing, so I find it kind of confusing when (just to pick random numbers) 15 people have viewed the first chapter, 6 people have viewed the 2nd chapter, and 9 people have viewed the 3rd chapter. Is that normal? Anyone wanna explain that to me?

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I do not own Avatar or any of it's characters, settings, themes, etc. I can't claim anything of Hankota's as my own except for his name - which is never mentioned in the show as far as I know. I've seen Season 1 like 10+ times, so I think I should know, but idt it's mentioned, so...yeah. Thanks! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Kat: OMW THIS IS MY FAV. CHAPTER. EVER. I'm just going to apologize in advance for this. Get ready for some feels. Seriously. This is just...this is almost too much for me. Hope you enjoy!

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Immediately following the speech, there was another lively applause, and upbeat chatter soon filled the room once again. After politely excusing myself from a great number of guests who wished to greet me, wish me a happy birthday, and congratulate me some more, I exited the great dining hall and strolled through the big, vacant training lot to make my way to the gate. The party was nearly over, and the excitement within me bubbled as I waved up to the lookout tower so the guard would let me through. He leaned over to see who it was, then waved back to his companion. The fortified gates slipped open just enough for me to sneak through. Around its brim revealed Matokka, then grown and matured as well – even more-so that night than I had seen him before. Much to my initial irritation, his most recent and final growth spurt pushed him to be taller than me by several inches. His chest and shoulders had broadened and, due to years of mountain climbing and cave exploration, his arms and legs were solid muscle. But, to my amusement, his favorite modification was that his voice deepened – and no longer cracked when he spoke.

Aside from build, his facial features were greatly changed as well. His jaw had hardened, square and defined; his eyebrows had grown in thick and high-set; and his thin, deep-set eyes glowed in the most brilliant ultramarine blue.

It was strange looking at him so closely. I had seen him practically every day of our lives, but I had never really _looked_ at him. The feeling it gave me was awkward, but oddly pleasing. It only took me a few extended seconds to realize why I chose that moment to really _look_ at him. Something about him was definitely different. And not just a physical kind of different, it was the air between us. The atmosphere. But the atmosphere almost seemed to take its cue from him, which only made things even more complicated and confusing.

I looked at him again, and I suddenly realized what was different. He was clothed in his nicest suit, which peeked through his thick, expensive parka – an ensemble I had seen several times before, but never actually on him. If I ever brought it up, he would casually explain it away that he never had an occasion special enough for which to wear it. And his hair – his dark chestnut hair was long, but instead of his signature, disheveled, bed-head look, he had it neatly combed down and off to one side – not a hair out of place.

With all of those changes, in body and dress both, I was almost inclined to believe that the man before me was some random stranger rather than the boy I had grown up with. His expression was different too. His lips curled into an awkward, almost embarrassed kind of smile, and the odd sparkle in his eyes were even more confusing. They were still that cool cobalt blue, which I hadn't expected to differ anyway, but the emotions shining through them were complex. In them I saw a glimmer of contentment, determination, excitement, seriousness, and...anxiety?

Shyly, I took a few steps toward him. For some reason that I couldn't identify at the time, I kept my head down, and I could only look up at him with my eyes. Then, slowly, I spoke. "Hey... Are you...okay?"

After some hesitation, he answered with a simple "Yes."

There was a moment of discomforting silence between us. My eyes wandered about to almost everything in sight except for Matokka before I happened to glance down at my dress. It was better than nothing when it came to making a conversation. "Do I look alright?"

It was just a question. It was to have something to talk about. Something to ease the stillness of the air. It wasn't that I had ever been all that self-conscious about my appearance, especially around my best friend (who never cared how I looked), but again, there was something about that night that was definitely different. I was acting strangely, as was he; neither of us had any reason to be self-conscious and yet we were. We both looked fine, but that was most likely the problem. It was not in our nature to dress up – and never around each other – but whenever we did, we made an effort to look our best. And that was what we had done. While he had taken the time to put together his suit and do his hair, I had organized my own outfit. My long hair was left loose – no ponytail, no braid, no hair loopies – so that it fell neatly down my shoulders and back. I donned a long-sleeved dress in a light azure hue. The gown was fairly simple: a slim skirt with a short, wave-like flair along the hem; a bodice overlaid with an intricately woven lace; and a wide sash tied simply around my waist. With the dress I wore warm, fingered gloves and thick, moccasin boots. Over the dress I wore a soft, beige, rabbit-mink shawl, cut off at the elbow, and a matching muff covered my hands.

When Matokka didn't answer my question so as to start a conversation, I repeated myself. "Matokka... Do I look alright?"

"Alright?" he asked, flustered, as he ran his fingers through his hair. "You look...amazing."

My eyes widened, and a bright red blush crept across my face at his unexpected compliment. I raised a hand to hide it, but it was pretty pointless since I was sure he'd seen it. "Thanks..." I lowered my hand. _Wow, I was expecting a 'sure, fine', or even a 'whatever', nothing like the answer he gave me..._ "So, uh...where are we going?"

"Come on, I'll show you," he answered. His voice still had it's usual mischievous ring to it, but at that moment it also held a sense of gentleness and security, a tone I'd never quite heard from Matokka before. He held out his hand, silently asking for mine. Automatically I pulled my hand out of the muff and let it fall into his hand, but as I did, my mind hesitated. That whole situation – him wanting to meet me after the party to go some secret place – seemed way too suspicious. That was Matokka...being genuinely nice to me? That was too strange to be real. Having known him since practically birth, I knew all too well what he could have been leading me to. I was just waiting for him to do something – to grab my arm and hurl me into a snowbank, or to shove a ball of snow in my face, or have a bunch of his waterbending friends ambush me, or...something.

But it never came.

Instead, he led me carefully up to Eyu Mountain, up to a ledge overhanging the Antarctic seas. It was a familiar ledge. It was in the exact spot where he had landed after his terrifying fall all those years ago. The one that I had made to catch him. Cautiously, he seated us a safe distance away from the edge, but not so far back that we were leaning against the rugged cliff-side. The snow was thick and compact, yet soft and cool to the touch. I curled my legs up beside me and leaned slightly on my right hand, the hand between me and Matokka. Once I was comfortable, I noticed how the setting sun turned the ice peach and gold, and how its brilliant beams were blocked by the mountain, casting lavender shadows for miles toward the horizon.

"Pretty amazing, huh?" he sighed.

I just nodded, staring out over the mesmerizing sea, still wondering what this trip was all about. A sense of uneasiness festered inside me when I realized that, even though Matokka had taken me all the way out there for the view, he wasn't even paying attention to it. His gaze was locked on me. In my peripheral vision I noticed that his ocean blue eyes searched my face for something, though for what I could not be certain. He was sitting just inches away, and I could almost feel his warmth across the small distance between us. But the strange thing was that...I wasn't sure if I didn't like it. Nervously, casually, he leaned toward me. And, slowly, steadily, he moved his hand toward mine. With equal pace it inched closer and closer. I remained rigid, expecting our fingers to touch. When they did, I flinched. Instinctively I drew my hand away, my fingers curling in on themselves. In that moment I could feel the disappointment radiating off of him, and after a quick moment of hesitation...I relented. I moved my hand back toward his, and allowed his strong fingers to wrap around mine. Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw the smallest of smiles begin to form on his lips.

The sun kept sinking beneath the mountains, the ice fading from gold to orange to red to purple to gray, but just before the sun said its final goodnight, I had to ask him my nagging question. "Matokka?"

Our voices were soft, not quite whispers. "Hmm?"

"What is this all about?"

"What is all of what about?" he asked quietly, innocently.

I glanced sidelong at him, tired and confused. "You know what I mean."

"Well tell me anyway."

"All of...this. I don't know... The clothes, the hair, this-" I nodded down to our hands, which were still linked together. "Why did you bring me up here? Why this spot? Why tonight?"

Rather than answering my questions, Matokka said simply and suddenly, "Close your eyes."

My head whipped around to face him, perturbed by his request. "What? Why? You haven't answered-"

"_Trust me,_" he interrupted, knowing to stop me at my first sign of protest. "Please. Just...trust me." His lips turned up into a knowing, gentle smile. Skeptical, I gave him a weird look, questioning him with my eyes. But as I looked into his, I saw that they were almost pleading. It reminded me of the look Korra gave me in our room just before the party. Again, it wasn't a look I was familiar with for either of them.

Still confused, but obedient, I closed my eyes, sat up straight, and lifted my chin – just so he knew I was only doing so because he asked so nicely. I could hear him shuffling around beside me, like he was digging around in his coat pocket, before he stood up. I heard the snow give under his weight as he moved around behind me. Then, startled, I felt something pull around my neck. Every instinct inside me told me to fight, to stop whatever he was doing before the situation took a turn for the worst. If it had been anyone else, I would have knocked them clear to Yue, but having been my best friend had its perks – such as trust.

Whatever it was that was pulled tight around my neck slackened a little, and it rested between my collar bones. As Matokka returned to his place beside me, and with my eyes still closed, I slowly moved my hand up to my neck. My gloved fingers ran along a small stone, about the size of a coin, with a roughly etched pattern carved into it. It was hard to make out, but by the way the grooves flowed, they must have been waves. Attached to the stone was a strand of smooth, durable silk, which held the stone in place around my neck. Without even looking at the gift, I _knew_ what it was. My heartbeat quickened. Slowly I opened my eyes and looked at Matokka, still clutching the stone. "A...a betrothal necklace?" My thoughts suddenly became scrambled, and my tongue felt heavy and uncooperative in my mouth as I tried to form coherent sentences. "I-I want, I can't, I thought that you... I-I mean..." Frustrated, I heaved a heavy sigh, shook my head, and tried again. "Matokka...I don't understand."

"Well, I'm no master craftsman, but yes, it _is_ a betrothal necklace. I just wanted you to have it."

"Why? For what?" I asked, my head still trying to swim through a muddy fog.

"For when you are ready."

"Ready...? To get...to get married? _Us_?"

"Yes."

His confident answer threw my already-confused mind into a whirlwind. _Us? Get married? What?! One minute we're a couple of crazy kids pushing each other around, and now he's...?_ I closed my eyes again, tight, and I couldn't stop myself from trembling. I covered my face with my hands as the significance of what he was saying overwhelmed me. Seeing my distress, Matokka started to lift a hand to comfort me, but he hesitated, about to lower it again, unsure of what to do in that situation. But, gaining some courage, he wrapped his whole arm around my shoulder and pulled me in close, placing a hand on my head so that I leaned against his chest. As he did that, suddenly everything became clear. _He likes me,_ I thought. _No, it's _more_ than that. All of those signs that I wasn't sure what to make of before... His dislike for making promises when we were kids, his awkwardness after he fell off that cliff and again after Katara healed him, and now...the nice clothes, his discomfort when meeting me, the closeness he's using this very moment...He doesn't _just_ like me._

After I felt as though I had pulled myself together, I opened my eyes and leaned away. The small smile that Matokka had been wearing suddenly dropped. Again everything became clear. I realized that I didn't want his smile to disappear. I didn't want his smile to _ever_ disappear. "I'm sorry. I just...wasn't expecting that."

Smiling again, he took one of my hands into his. He rubbed his thumb over the back of it gently. Him doing so only reminded me of my questions from before, some of which still hadn't been answered. "Matokka...what _is_ all of this about? I understand now what you...what you want to do, but...why now? Why here?"

Matokka leaned toward me, his shoulder touching mine, as he answered. "Now because...I felt like the time was right. And right here because...this is the place where I first realized I was in love with you."

My mind went numb. It was one thing to give me a betrothal necklace as a symbol of his love, but it was another thing to hear him actually say he was in love with me. I was dumbstruck, and my jaw hung slightly agape as I shook my head a bit, attempted to speak, to give him some sort of answer, but the words wouldn't come.

"Katalana..." Matokka sighed, grinning a bit, trying to help me return to him. "Katalana, I don't even know where to begin. This is something I've wanted to tell you for a long time, but...there wasn't ever a 'right time' to say it, and even if there had been...I could never work up the courage to say it. But it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I realized that I couldn't withhold this from you any longer. Then it hit me that this would be the perfect time to tell you. Your birthday, the day it finally became appropriate for a girl to get married...and the day that led to the most amazing part of my life."

I didn't have time to decide if his cheeks were burning red from the cold or from embarrassment before he spoke again.

"Katalana, you are truly the most amazing person in my life. You're the best friend that anyone could _ever_ have. Compared to you, I must seem like the lousiest guy on earth."

A laugh escaped my lips and a few confusedly happy tears escaped my eyes.

"No, seriously!" he said, as if he thought I was protesting. "I've teased you, I've pranked you, I've scared you half to death a time or two – and you've put up with it all. There are too many things that you've done for me over the years for me to count. You've been there for me when I was down or sick or injured, you've willingly accepted punishment for sneaking out just to see me, and you've even gone as far as risking your own life to save mine – and more than once I might add! But what have I done for you? Besides cause you pain? I won't hide my faults from you, Katalana – not that I could anyway, seeing as you know them already – but I want there to be a strong mutual trust between us. I know that tonight has thrown you off, considering how we both have been acting, and I know you were wary when you agreed to come up here. I don't want us to be like that anymore. Now, I'm not promising to change completely, but enough so that you don't have to be on your guard every time you're with me. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you've always been there for me, and even if I haven't done such a good job of it in the past, my only hope is that I can _and_ _will_ always do the same for you."

He paused, letting all of what he said sink in. I sat stock still, too dumbfounded to do anything willingly. My tears flowed harder now. I couldn't tell from which emotion they stemmed. That didn't really matter to Matokka, though, for he laid his hand across my cheek and brushed the tears away with his thumb. The warmth of his hands was so unfamiliar to me, but as I felt when we first sat down on that ledge, with him so close to me...I wasn't sure if I didn't like it. Slowly, I set my hand over his and pulled it gently away from my cheek, resting them on my lap, then nodded, prompting him to continue.

"Katalana...we've grown up together. I've seen you grow and change and become the beautiful, powerful, amazing person that God made you to be. And even though we've had a few rough spots here and there, you've made me a better person. I'd like to think that our friendship has brought out the best in both of us. But now...I want _more_ than that. I want _us_ to be more than that."

His eyes gleamed as they stared longingly at his gift around my neck. Then he sat back, as if telling a story – which he almost was.

"When we were little, even after you moved away, nothing stopped us from being friends. Nothing changed except for the route to get between our homes. I want that to happen again, soon, but on a deeper, more meaningful level."

He stopped to chuckle at his own remark. "I sound like an eighty year old professor speaking in metaphors."

I had to stop and laugh too.

"Well, enough of that," he said, still smiling, but in a more serious, confident manner, as he looked deep into my eyes. "Katalana, I want to be perfectly clear that nothing in this world would make me happier than spending the rest of my life with you."

For a split second a look crossed his face as though he had forgotten something important, but he was quick to sober up. "Look, I don't want you to feel as though you have to accept. I don't want to pressure you. Honestly, I understand if you don't even feel the same way right now. This" -he motioned to my necklace- "can be more of a promissory symbol than what it is traditionally known as, but really this is all up to you."

There were small droplets of sweat forming along his hairline, which I knew were forming from nervousness and not (the nonexistent) atmospheric heat. "So, here it is," he paused to get situated. Since we were already sitting, he got up on one knee so that we were nearly the same height on that uneven ledge, then he took both of my hands into his, and he stared deep into my eyes as he asked his final question. "Katalana, will you marry me?"

Again, I stayed in my place, trembling from the cold, his speech, and my own thoughts tumbling around inside my head. My mouth remained opened slightly, as if I was going to answer, but again no words came.

_Married? Us?_ I thought. _I don't know... I mean, I've never really thought about it before. If he'd asked me a few years ago, I would have laughed and played some weird and sneaky prank on him, but now...? I still don't know. The idea doesn't _appall_ me, nor even strike me as unsavory. Who knows? I could grow to like it. It's not like I spend much time away from him anyway, and I'm always disappointed if there's a day I am unable to leave the compound to see him. Does that mean something? Does that mean that I like him too?_ These thoughts continued to swirl through my mind, making me lightheaded, but nonetheless, they wracked my brain and tugged at my heart as they repeated themselves over and over.

Do _I like Matokka? No...that's the right question. Do I _love_ him?_

Matokka waited patiently for me to respond. He remained there, on one knee, searching my expression for a glimpse of what my answer might be. When I could offer him nothing, he sighed, assuming the worst. His smile faded into a simple grimace that seemed to only mask his true disappointment. Dejected, he pulled his hands away from mine and used one to rub the back of his head. "It's...it's alright, Katalana. Maybe...I was wrong. Maybe I...rushed into things a bit. I thought it was time, and I wanted you to know how I felt. I-I understand if you don't want to-"

"Yes!" I blurted out. Immediately I clamped my hands over my mouth, but even that couldn't hold back the girlishly giddy grin that played on my lips.

Matokka stopped short. His head was hung, but, as if in slow motion, his eyes panned up to my face. His head slowly followed, his eyes wide, unsure if he had heard me clearly. "What?"

"Yes," I repeated, trying to contain my excitement. "Yes, Matokka, I _do_ want to marry you."

When his brain seemed to register my answer, I watched his eyes grew even wider, happier, and a smile broke out across his face. It was a jubilant smile, an animated smile, an ecstatic smile. It was a smile so wide and utterly amazed that he seemed to be in pain just from smiling so wide. That was a smile I truly _never_ wanted to disappear.

We both sat still for a second, so stunned and confused and giddy all at the same time. Caught up in the moment, I launched myself forward again, like when I found him after the fall, wrapping my arms around him in a long embrace. He didn't veer away this time, nor even hesitate. He squeezed me back, lovingly, as if he had wanted to do for a long time and never could.

We stayed like that for what seemed like hours but couldn't have been more than a few minutes, and it still seemed too soon when we let go. Still grinning uncontrollably, I blushed, suddenly overcome with shyness and embarrassment, but it was perfectly fine because...he did too! Everything was so undecided, so blurry, and I bit my lip, unsure of what to do next. But I guess I didn't have to decide, because Matokka was leaning in again. Gently, he brushed a few stray hairs away from my eyes before tracing his fingers along my cheek, sending a satisfied shiver up my spine. Then, he reached out and held my face in his hands, softly, just barely touching me, as if he feared that using any more pressure would break me. Once again, his strong hands were warm and inviting, especially compared to the chill of the evening mountain air. And finally, ignoring everything around us – the cold, the darkness, the howling wind – he looked deep into my sparkling emerald eyes, and I in his deep ocean blues, before he pressed his lips against mine. It was tentative at first, as we were both new to it, but it soon deepened into something more. It was such a sweet, passionate, life-changing gesture. We had just shared our first kiss.

It was true that I had never thought about us in that way, or that I had ever thought about me having that kind of relationship with anyone for that matter, but, I had to say...I enjoyed it. That was so strange – him kissing me. Honestly, _willingly_, kissing me. He hadn't gagged or wiped his mouth on his sleeve that time. He kissed me, and he _liked_ it.

Even so, it ended all too soon. We leaned back, both of us letting out a deep breath that neither of us realized we had been holding. My head was spinning with all that had just happened. Things would never be the same between us. Married! We were going to get married! That little punk kid who shoved me off a roof when we were nine was, at seventeen, a teasing, yet caring young man that I realized I couldn't live without. That kiss was only the beginning of something. It was the beginning of a whole new life together. It represented all of what we had, and it was barely a glimpse of everything in store for our future.

But, thinking that...reminded me of the party. Tenzin, training, the departure for Republic City in two days. It all came rushing back, and the thrill that Korra and I had experienced earlier that night suddenly seemed shameful. My heart shattered in my chest. I felt my stomach turn and churn and flip to the point where I nearly made myself sick.

_What?! I can't leave yet! I just...we just... I can't abandon Korra now, after all we've been through. She's worked so hard for this, this is all she's ever wanted... But Matokka and I have been through just as much! Everything he just talked about, it was all true, it all meant something to him, means something to me. Ooh! What am I going to do...?_ My thoughts were so scrambled that I wouldn't have been able to untangle them for who-knows-how-long, but through all of my muddling and grasping for answers, there was one small voice that kept repeating the same thing over and over. Hearing that voice reminded me of someone I hadn't spoken to in a long time, someone I should have been speaking to all the time, and I decided to act on what that voice had said.

_Lord,_ I prayed silently, _I _do_ know, deep down, what I should do...what I have to do. These two options have joys equally amazing, and consequences equally crushing. I just don't like having to decide. Leaving one of them behind... Please, Lord, if there is some way to avoid this... I need your help, Lord, your guidance, your peace. In your name I pray, Amen._

It wasn't the best prayer in the world, or even a good one, but just making an effort did put me somewhat at ease. But I was still disheartened. I would still have to choose.

I looked over at Matokka. He was staring out over the landscape for probably the first time that night. The sky was dark then, but the view remained spectacular nonetheless. Matokka's eyes were fixed on something way in the distance, like a star or some far off memory, or maybe even a vision of the future.

Dread consumed me, and my girlish smile dropped into a serious and devastated frown. Seeking comfort, I placed a hand over his and intertwined our fingers.

That gesture captivated his attention, and as soon as he saw my crestfallen face, his became so as well. I shut my eyes and turned my head away, but he gingerly placed his free hand on my cheek to turn it back. His voice was soft and sweet, comforting, as I fought my internal struggle. "What's wrong?"

I curled my fingers around the hand on my cheek and squeezed it firmly, hoping to draw strength from it as tears welled up in my eyes, trying to force themselves out. "I'm sorry," I whispered, barely audible.

Matokka leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine lovingly, not understanding my distress.

"I'm sorry," I repeated a tiny bit louder.

"Sorry?" he asked, his voiced becoming ever-so-slightly strained. "What is there to be sorry about?"

"For...this," I answered, gesturing to the air between us. "All of this."

Even though I expected some impatient, possibly angry reply, he remained calm remarkably well. "Katalana...I don't understand."

"Matokka...I can't..."

"You can't...what?"

"I can't marry you." I lifted my head to look at him, right into his eyes. They were deep, swirling, watery, such an intense ultramarine blue that I was surprised I wasn't peering directly into the ocean. Instead, I was peering into his soul. He looked and sounded perfectly tranquil, but to anyone who knew him as well as I did would know that he was not. I was scaring him.

Shaking my head again, I lowered my gaze, my eyes following the faint lines I had made with every shift since we sat down. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to get your hopes up like this. I never wanted to hurt you."

"Hurt me? Katalana, what are you talking about?"

"I-I'm leaving. In two days. The Order told us that...Korra needs to finish her training... She's going to Republic City to learn airbending and...and I'm going with her." My voice cracked as I explained. I struggled to avoid choking on my own tears. I was only so far away from breaking down.

Matokka continued to look at me, his expression revealing that he was more thoughtful with his reply than distressed. I had a fleeting suspicion that he was trying to remain calm more for me, to keep _me_ from breaking down, but another thought crossed my mind that he might be attempting to remain calm for himself, to keep _himself_ from breaking down. He swallowed hard, and I could see just the faintest trace of him trembling. "Why are you telling me this now? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't find out until tonight, at the party," I explained, controlling my shaking voice. "I wish you had been there. The speech Hankota gave was absolutely horrible, so I guess the news that we were leaving made us itching to go." Being so close to tears, I had to pause and sniffle before continuing. "I am so, _so_ sorry for feeling that way, for not protesting. I had no idea they were going to announce that, I had no idea they were going to take us so soon... If only I'd said something..." Again I paused to collect myself. "It's a stupid and unworthy excuse, but when you made your own speech, when you gave me this" -I touched my necklace- "I was so stunned that I...forgot...about the party."

Matokka listened quietly, patiently, intently, thoughtfully, until I was finished. "But I still don't understand why you have to leave. Aren't there masters who can move down here to teach Korra? That's what they did with fire and water, right? Why not air?"

"Well, it's not so simple. Katara already lived here, and surprisingly there were firebenders who were willing to move down here. And our grandfather taught me to bend, but now that he has passed the most reasonable thing to do would be to have me teach Korra. The thing is, though, I don't have to teach her _here_. Earthbending can be taught pretty much anywhere. I can go wherever she goes. Tenzin, though...he has a family he needs to take care of. He has responsibilities in the city as well. He can't drop everything and move. We have to go to him."

"So why do _you_ have to go? _Korra_ is the Avatar, correct? Couldn't she find someone else to teach her earthbending?"

My jaw dropped when he said that. I gaped at him, fury and pain coursing through my veins and fueling my rant. "How can you _say_ that?! You _know_ how important Korra is to me! You _know_ how much I've given up for her! I can't abandon her now!"

Matokka put his hands on my shoulders to calm me, but I didn't feel like being placated. I shoved his hands aside, but he stuck them right back on. I couldn't stand to look at him. Hot tears formed once again and spilled slowly down my cheeks. _How can he _say_ that? He should know me better than that!_

"I'm sorry," he said softly, but firmly. He tilted his head to look at my face, and so I could look at his, to know he was sincere. "I _do_ know you better than that."

My head snapped up in surprise. "But how did you-"

He laughed and gave me his famous mischievous smile, then slugged me playfully on the arm. "No, I didn't read your mind. That was just a guess."

Despite my anger, a reluctant smile couldn't restrain itself from unfolding.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "That was just a moment-of-selfishness thing. I _know_ how much you love Korra, and I know you would never leave her – or let her leave you."

His words touched me, and unfortunately for my lingering rage, it was enough to make me forgive him. I let his arms slide around my neck again, pulling me into another hug. I laid my head on his shoulder, enjoying what would probably be our last moment alone like this for a very, _very_ long time. "Thank you...for everything."

"You're welcome."

It was long after dark by the time we separated. I used my gloves to wipe my tear-stained cheeks. "We should go," I said, standing up. "Your mom and Korra and everyone back at the compound are probably searching frantically for us right now." Then, with a heavy heart, I reached up and untied my betrothal necklace. I held it in my hand for a long time, just staring at it, thinking of everything we could have had. That was the first time I had actually seen the necklace, and even though it would not have been considered perfect by a true artisan's standards, it was perfect to me. The stone was a deep ocean blue, almost the color of his eyes. And I had been right about the waves. The indents swirled from one end of the stone to the other, some of them overlapping others. There were a few scratches here and there, and little rock shavings that had gotten stuck in the grooves, but that didn't matter to me. It was lovely. I stared at it for a moment longer, still smiling. Then, even more reluctantly than when I had taken it off, I held it out to Matokka. He stepped toward me; his gaze never faltering as he looked into my eyes once again. Without looking down, he closed my fingers around the necklace, then leaned forward and brushed his lips against my cheek. I could feel his breath on my ear as he whispered his last words to me.

"Keep it. I know that you will return one day, and when you do...I'll be here waiting."

Thankful for his encouragement, I pulled the token around my neck and he stepped behind me to help refasten it. With that said and done, he put his arm over my shoulder and walked me back to the compound. I waved up to the gatekeeper, who shouted to the rest of the camp that I had returned. _So they _have_ been searching for me._ I laughed, for probably the first time that evening. Then, choking back tears, I turned to Matokka, and kissed him one last time. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Goodbye, Matokka."

"Goodbye, Katalana."

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Kat: *sigh* Why do I do this to myself? Lol! Anyway, liiiiittle bit of a spoiler alert, but their situation will get much worse before it gets better. But it WILL get better - promise! It just might be a while. Sorry!

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I do not own TLOK or any of its characters, settings, themes, etc.

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CQC's! I wanna know what everyone thinks about this chapter more than any other! Thanks for reading! :D


	6. Chapter 6

Kat: Slow chapter, sorry, but kinda sweet. Unfortunately, no Matokka in this chapter, but the chapter will explain why he doesn't make an appearance...sort of. And Katalana gets a little down on herself too, so maybe it's not a good idea to read this chapter when you're feeling down yourself, so...idk. Just a thought. Anyway, I really didn't think I'd finish editing this chapter today, even with it being a 3-day Easter Weekend and all, so I'm pretty happy that it all worked out! Praise the Lord! He is risen! :D 3

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"Katalana! You okay?" Korra's muffled voice sounded through our bedroom door. "Stupid question, I can _feel_ your sadness. Come on, let me in." I smiled through my tears. Korra had always been tough – on the inside and out – but she cared. With my head still tucked between my legs, I flicked my index finger, causing the metal door to whoosh open. "Show off," she muttered as she came in and sat down next to me on the bed. "Hey, what happened?"

I raised my head, resting my chin on my knees and tilting my head so I could peer at her. "We're leaving."

To get more comfortable she leaned back against my headboard, pulled her legs up onto the quilt, and pressed her feet against my side. "So? You were ecstatic when they told us. We both were." Frowning, she shifted the pillow behind her so that her shoulder blades weren't digging into the wood at her back. "We can finally learn airbending together! Isn't that what you want?"

"Well yes, but-" I hesitated. I couldn't bring myself to say the words aloud. How could I tell her that that wasn't _all_ I wanted? That maybe...it wasn't enough?

I sensed rather than saw that Korra wasn't angry. Merely concerned. "But...what?" she asked gently. "What's changed since the party?"

"You couldn't feel it?"

"Sure, but, I could only feel your emotions. You didn't let me see what was happening, nor did I want to invade your privacy," she explained, slightly embarrassed. "So...what changed?"

"This. _This_ changed." I sat up taller and lowered my shawl, revealing the small, handmade necklace that Matokka had given me. Korra's eyes widened with understanding. "He _proposed_, Korra."

Her lips moved ever so slightly, and although I couldn't hear her voice, her thoughts were soft but clear. _"So I was right..."_

"You knew?" I asked, hurt that she hadn't said anything. "Is this what you refused to tell me about earlier?"

"Um...sort of." Her voice took on a low tone, almost solemn. "I didn't know exactly what he had in mind, but I had a feeling that he was going to do something special for you. I mean, dressing up to meet you _after_ the party... Taking you somewhere alone to talk... Being so secretive about everything... What did you think he was going to do?"

Her question was met with an unconvincing answer, an answer that I wasn't even sure _I_ believed. "I don't know. It's not like this is the first time he's done anything out of the ordinary. I still can't believe you didn't say anything."

I saw Korra frown again, and her eyebrows knitted together in regret. "Well, knowing what you do now...would you have wanted me to?"

Sighing, I thought about her question. On one hand, I would have liked for her to trust me enough with her hunches, but on the other hand...she was right when she said that telling me would only ruin everything. Telling me would have spoiled Matokka's surprise, and I might have disappointed him with my answer. "No, I guess not." I sighed again and leaned back against the wall, then groaned dramatically. "Why must things be so complicated?"

Korra snorted, bemused by my complaint. "Your guess is as good as mine."

I remained in place, but I turned my head to give her a sidelong glare. "You're a _huge_ help."

"I try," she said with a shrug. Then, smiling mischievously, she yanked another pillow out from under her and whacked me across the face with it.

"Hey! What was that for?!" I scoffed, only slightly annoyed, as I tucked my newly frizzled hairs back behind my ear.

"To get you" -she snacked me again- "out of your own thoughts" -and again- "for a while!"

She raised the pillow to slug me again, but I caught it and yanked it out of her grasp before she got the chance. I waited a few seconds for her to settle down, then swiftly thumped her with it once before hugging it between my chest and my knees, guarding it from her devious clutches.

"Okay, I guess I deserved that," she admitted.

Giving her a grateful grimace, I explained, "Thanks, Korra, for trying to cheer me up, but" -I laid my head back down- "I'm not exactly in the mood. I _need_ to be thinking. Sure, it's painful, but it gives me something to do. It's better than crying."

"True." She shifted positions again by scooting towards me, turning her back to the wall, and crossing her legs like a pretzel. For a minute she stared down at her feet in thought, her lips scrunched into a lopsided frown that made her look as though some foul taste had crawled across her tongue. "So...what are you going to do?"

A loose thread on my quilt grew suddenly interesting to me, and I fiddled with it as I gave her the unsatisfactory answer I had been giving myself all night. "What _can_ I do? I _have_ to go with you. You're my sister! I can't let you travel halfway around the world without me!"

"Sure you could!" she exclaimed, bolting upright in her enthusiasm.

For a second I wondered what she meant by that. "Is that supposed to be encouraging or insulting?"

"Encouraging, if you can believe it."

"Really? 'Cause it almost sounds like you're trying to get rid of me," I said in mock suspicion.

"Ha, now would I do that?"

"In a heartbeat."

Korra sucked in a deep breath through her teeth. "Ouch."

I shot her a look. "You know I was just teas-"

She cut me off with a playful eye roll. Then she got up on her knees like she was in some position of power, which forced me to look up so I could see her and _really_ listen to what she had to say. "Okay look, let's say you stayed here. After I left, I would know that you'd be supporting me in spirit, even if you couldn't physically be in Republic City. (I'll know because I can read your thoughts.) And I can find someone else to teach me earthbending. There are plenty of other masters out there."

Pressing my knees closer to my chest, I mumbled, "That's just what Matokka said."

A huff from Korra woke me from my memories. "Katalana,_ I_ may be _your_ sister, but _you_ are _my_ sister too, and I won't let you be miserable in Republic City with me when you could be happy here with Matokka!"

Stubbornly, I shook my head. "Korra, no. I _am_ going with you. Don't try to argue because my mind is made up." I shook my head again and stared blankly down at the bed, my fingers fiddling idly with that loose thread in the quilt again. "I'm just upset because I don't know when I'll see him again. It could be _years_ before we're together again – I just don't know. He _proposed_, Korra. He was crushed when I had to turn him down – after I had already told him that I wanted to marry him. And I really, _really_ want to. More than anything."

For a moment, my mind wandered. I wasn't sure if it was really a vision of the future, or just my imagination, but either way, it was wonderful to think about. There were images of Matokka and I together, newly married, bright-eyed and smiling wide as we embarked on another adventure up to Paku Peak. Images of us years later, serious, yet overjoyed as we cradled our first child. Images of us nearing our end, solemn and sweet as we held hands on one last walk along our frozen shores.

Then the images were gone.

Vanished.

Never to be.

Tired and stressed and angry, I pressed my hands tight over my ears, as if doing so would somehow block out those depressing thoughts. "I wish you could have seen his face when I said yes..." I said softly, smiling, as I recalled his shining face. "He was so happy. _I_ was happy. But once I told him about Republic City...everything changed. I feel like accepting only made things worse for him when I remembered the party."

"No," Korra said, shaking her head. "Even if I wasn't there, I know that you were honest with everything you said to him. Had you remembered the party sooner and told him 'no' from the start, he would have thought that you didn't feel the same way he did by your own choice, not because of some circumstance interfering with your decision. No, I believe things worked out the way they did because that was the way they were meant to work out."

"I appreciate you saying that, but I still feel guilty. I only got his hopes up to cut them down again." I was quiet for a minute, thinking, then I kicked the side of my bed in a sudden burst of anger. "Ugh! I hate this! I wanted so badly to say yes, _to be able_ to say yes... Just think about it: Matokka and I as a married couple! Who would have thought? After all these years..." I sighed and collapsed back onto the bed. With one hand I rubbed my eyes, and with the other, my fingers traced the ribbon around my neck. "I guess I was pretty thoughtless when I accepted in the first place, huh? I should have _known_ that we wouldn't stay here forever. I should have _known_ that you're the Avatar and that you'd have to leave and save the world at some point. And I should have _known_ that I wouldn't let you do any of that without me. Ugh! Why am I so _stupid_?"

"Okay, first of all, you are _not_ stupid. And secondly,_ come on_! This isn't the end of the world! You can still write to him if you decide to come with me. And it's not like we'll be _confined_ to Air Temple Island or anything so you can still visit him at any time, or he could visit you."

"Long distance relationships never work out, you know that."

"True, for _normal_ people. Do you think there's anything _normal_ about us, Katalana? You're an _Earthbender_ from the the Southern _Water_ Tribe. The very first! Plus, you're the _twin_ of the Avatar! How many Avatars had a twin? Or _any_ _siblings_ for that matter! Together we know four elements: water, fire, earth, and metal (if you count that as its own element). We can bend four elements; I'm sure we can bend the rules of love!"

Once I started laughing I could hardly stop. I even had to sit up in order to take in more air to laugh. "The 'rules of love'? Really, Korra?"

She held her palms up as if to apologize, shrugged, then quipped, "Hey, I make it up as I go along!"

I shook my head, still laughing on the outside, but still saddened on the inside. "I still worry, though. Even if Matokka and I keep touch, do you really think things would be the same when we return?"

"Well, honestly, I don't really know. Friendships can last over any distance, for any length of time, but I've never heard anyone say whether or not that friendship changed." Her grimace tipped up into a sly grin, and she shoved my shoulder with hers. "But I believe you two could manage. You and Matokka are two of the most stubborn people I know – and the most caring. You two care too much to stop talking to each other."

"But what if-"

"Oh _good grief_, Katalana!" Korra exclaimed, getting a little exasperated at my constant worry. "Enough of the 'what ifs'! Get a hold of yourself! Look, I'm only saying this because I love ya', but really, what's the worst that could happen? What, is he gonna find another girl?"

My eyes widened. That was one of the few 'what ifs' that _hadn't_ crossed my mind.

Instantly Korra glared at me. "You really think he would do that to you? After everything you two have been through?" Despite her need to scold me for my lack of trust, she chuckled a bit. "Come on, do you really think you have much competition down here anyway? I'm sure _he_ will have more competition once we move to the city!"

"I would never-"

"Would he?"

"Well no! But-"

"Then what's the problem?!"

"I don't know, but-"

"Enough 'buts'! Katalana, if you keep this up I'm not even going to _allow_ you come with me!" she threatened. Thank goodness she was only half-kidding.

Still, my heart remained heavy in my chest. And I turned my head from Korra to face the wall across the room. Korra remained still, continuing to look at me like I was some lost lizard-puppy, while I sat immersed in thought. _I want to go, I really do, but I equally want to stay. Why can't it be possible to do both? To both travel the world with Korra and remain here with Matokka? How can there be no way around this?_

"But...maybe there is!" Korra interrupted aloud.

Only slightly annoyed, I faced Korra again. "It's not polite to eavesdrop." She gave me a look as if to say she didn't care and just wanted to share her idea. "Oh alright," I huffed. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, maybe you _can_ have both."

"You're going to have to be a little more specific than that."

Her face again contorted into a jokingly annoyed expression. "You didn't let me finish!" She relaxed, but remained sitting upright so she could focus her attention solely on me. For a minute she hesitated, suddenly unsure of her plan, but she relayed it to me anyway. "Now, don't think I'm crazy and don't shoot me down right away, okay? This is just a thought. You don't have to go through with it, and neither does he."

"Where are you going with this?" I wondered, suspicious.

"Well... What if...what if you and Matokka get married before we leave?"

"You mean...plan _and_ hold a wedding within the next two days? Are you serious?"

She nodded slowly. I let out a surprised breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding, placing a hand on my head as I leaned back against the wall. "You're crazy."

Her head fell for a second before she looked back up at me, a tired smile on her face. "Now how did I know you were going to say that?" She paused, collecting her thoughts again. "So what do you think?"

"Obviously, I think you're crazy! Why would I marry someone and leave the next day? That would only hurt us both all the more."

Korra shook her head and put her hands on my shoulders excitedly. "That's the beauty of it! You're thinking about this all the wrong way! If you two got married _now,_ then maybe – just maybe – Matokka could come with us!"

"What?!"

"Sure! You could do it! If you two are married, then you shouldn't be separated. If that was the case, then it would make sense to either have you stay here with him, or for him to come with us! Of course we have to leave, but no one has ever said he has to remain here!"

"Well...I don't know. I hadn't really thought about that before."

"Naturally, but still, wouldn't it make sense? The only reason you don't want to leave is because you would leave Matokka behind. If he comes with us – problem solved!"

"Maybe... Do you think he would go for it?"

"You know that I know that you would know the answer to that question better than I would." She paused for us both to laugh. "But seriously though, I believe he would do it if it meant he could be with you."

I sighed, satisfied with her answer, but then another doubt crossed my mind. "What about his mother? She's already lost her husband, I'm not sure she could stand losing her son too."

"Maybe not, but don't you think she would be at ease knowing that he would be happy? And safe? You know there's no safer place on earth than here in this compound and there on Air Temple Island."

"True..."

"And...I doubt that she would want what happened to her to happen to you. To be separated from the one you love..."

"I guess so..."

"So, now that you get it...what do you think?"

"Normally I would say you are crazy – which I still believe, by the way – but considering our situation...I might actually ask him. This definitely sounds better to any of the alternatives."

Korra shook her head like she was a protective, much older sister. "What would you ever do without me?"

With one final eye-roll, I flashed her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Korra. You always have the right thing to say."

"'T's what I'm here for!" She hopped off the bed and stood to face me, her hands on her hips, resuming her mother-figure role. "Now hurry and get cleaned up; let's go and celebrate what's left of our birthday."

"Alright. See you in a few."

"See you in a few."

.

.

.

"Morning Mom, Dad." I yawned as I joined my family at the kitchen table the next morning. As I settled onto one of the many cushions at the table, I gazed around at my family. My whole family. My father, sitting tall, his strong chin held high, cerulean eyes proud. My mother, shoulders slightly slumped as if she was half-asleep, hair pulled into two loose braids, each wrapped in crisscrossed leather straps, her cyan eyes shimmering in the early morning light. It was a comfort to have them there, even for just one night. Our igloo was only a few miles away, but they often worried about walking home so late.

Senna's lips turned up into a tired smile as I sat down. "Good morning, Katalana. Did you sleep well?"

I fiddled with a clean spoon that had been left out for me, turning it over in my hands and peering sadly at my distorted reflection in the scoop. "Honestly? Not really."

"Any particular reason why?" she asked. Her motherly senses suddenly kicked in, causing her to be overly concerned for my well-being.

For a moment I wondered if I should have told her about the previous night's events. I was aching to, really, but I also wondered if I should relay our plan right then or wait until I asked Matokka. "I-I'm just anxious about leaving."

It wasn't a lie. I _was_ nervous about leaving.

Hearing my answer seemed to settle her a bit, and her shoulders relaxed as she gave me a warm smile. "We know you are honey, but you will be fine. You and Korra will be well taken care of. Tenzin is a good teacher and a great friend."

"I know, but that's not what I'm afraid of." _Oh boy..._should_ I tell them first? Or should I ask Matokka first? Well...I guess I should ask him first, seeing as if he refuses, then the idea would be rather pointless._ My stomach churned as I thought about how to ask him. Would he even go for it? It was so hard to tell... _But how do I explain this to my parents in a way they'll understand?_

"It's just...Republic City is going to be so..._different_. New sights and sounds, new tastes and smells – and I _am_ looking forward to that – but there is quite a bit of loss in that too." Idly I tapped the end of the spoon against the table, thinking, as I listened to the soft staccato clicks it made when coming in contact with the wood. "There won't be any igloos, or mountains, or thick heavy snow... Nor will either of you be there..." _Or possibly my best friend,_ I added silently as I rubbed my thumb longingly over the small stone around my neck. I hadn't taken it off before going to sleep, not wanting to let go of the memories it carried. The stone itself seemed to fit so perfectly between my collar bones. Even if it was made specifically for me, it felt as though it was truly meant to be there. That thought had brought the question to mind as to how Matokka cut the silk and carved the stone so accurately, but he wouldn't have told me even if I asked.

My parents exchanged looks of concern while Korra leaned back in her seat leisurely and pointed an instructive finger at me. "Hey, remember what we talked about."

Slightly irked by her nagging, but grateful for her reminding me about her plan, I simply puffed up my cheeks with air before releasing it like a popped bubble. The air scattered about the room; the brunt of it flew towards Korra, causing a quick swish from the twin ponytails framing her face. "I remember, I remember." I waved a hand at her carelessly, then laid my crossed arms on the table before laying my head down on my arms. "But I'm still-"

My sentence was cut off by the gatekeeper bursting into the room. His eyes scanned the room rapidly, wildly, until they rested on me. He quickly entered the dining hall and nodded his head in respect before relaying his message. "I apologize for disturbing your meal, but...Katal- er, _Miss_ Katalana, there is a woman at the gate who claims she knows you. She says it's urgent."

I glanced at Korra; she nodded in agreement. Then I explained to the guard, "I will go, but if the situation _is_ dyer, then this may be a job for the Avatar."

With that said, Korra and I followed the officer down the corridors and out the front of the building. The guard signaled his temporary replacement, who promptly opened the gates. The officer insisted that he stay with us in case of trouble. Meanwhile, Korra transferred her thoughts to me. "_Okay, first off, this is a frantic woman in need of help, so how _dangerous_could she be? Secondly, this nut job is a nonbender with an arrow on a stick. If this woman really _was_dangerous, what would that do? And lastly, we're two expert benders perfectly capable of defending ourselves."_

_"__He's just trying to be considerate – a lesson you might want to learn from him. Besides, it _is_their job to protect the Avatar," _I thought back to her.

Following her dramatic eye-roll, she returned, _"__True, but if you think about it, that logic is pretty flawed anyway. Isn't it the job of the _Avatar_to protect the _people_? Not the other way around?"_

Before I could make a retort, the gates creaked open enough for me to see the supposed damsel in distress. Beyond the doors stood a petite, middle-aged woman. She was dressed simply – donning a plain, faded blue dress, a thin coat, clinking gold bangles, and heavy boots. Her face was round, heart-shaped even, with gentle creases around her temples and at the corners of her lips. Her hair, once a deep chestnut, was then a lighter, almost ash color, just beginning to gray. Her eyebrows were high, her eyes deep-set, shimmering in the deepest ultramarine blue. Of course I knew her.

"Makita?" I asked softly. In better times, she was beautiful despite her age. But right then her dainty fingers twitched nervously and her brow was creased with worry.

Korra glanced at me out of the corners of her eyes. _"__That name sounds familiar, but why?"_

_"__She's Matokka's mother."_

She just gave me one curt nod.

As she did, Makita rushed toward me on the verge of hysteria. The guard beside me and Korra took a step in front of us, his spear raised ever-so-slightly. I touched his shoulder lightly and shook my head. Suspicious, but obedient, he lowered the staff and stepped back.

"Katalana, I need your help."

It wasn't unusual for me to see Makita unnerved or stressed, but this was the first time I had seen her fully panicked. I placed my hands on the shaking woman's shoulders to both comfort and steady her. "Makita, relax. What's wrong? Where's Matokka?"

"That's just the problem," she murmured gravely.

"What is?"

"Matokka."

"What about him? Is he alright? Where is he?"

"I don't know," she paused, as if her next words would ring true if she uttered them. "He's gone."

"Gone? Gone where?" The panic in my own voice was becoming more evident as the fear within me rose to new heights.

Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes, and she had to squeeze them tight as if doing so would shut out the pain. She covered her mouth with one and and shook her head.

Korra gave me an uneasy look.

Growing desperate, but trying desperately to remain calm, I tilted my head so Makita could see me without looking up. "Please, you have to know something. When did he leave?"

"Sometime during the night. When he came home after his evening with you, he was...troubled, shall we say." She glanced up at my necklace, then up at me. Her eyes were losing their delirium, but they shined with gentle sadness. "He was so glad that you had accepted, Katalana, though he was...disappointed, with the circumstances. Understandably, of course." Her fingers moved up to her own betrothal necklace, and she rubbed it lovingly. The stone was worn smooth with years of gentle massaging, and the silk string it was attached to had been replaced more than once, for it was much newer and shinier than it should have been. Bringing herself back to the present, she shook her head forcefully. "Anyway, after he told me what happened, he went straight to bed. (I did too, after putting away the dinner that he wasn't hungry for)," she added. "Then when I woke up this morning...he was gone."

"But that isn't _that_ unusual, right?" I asked, casting for some logical solution. "I mean, he and I wake up before dawn all the time. And most of the time we're gone all day!"

Makita's look suggested that she had thought of that, and that that conclusion was not valid. "Well he's not here with you now, is he?"

"Well...no..."

"Besides," she fretted, "he would always leave me a note. He would pin it to the icebox, or shove it between the wall and the front door, or even stick it right to my forehead while I was asleep." Again she chuckled a bit, a low, musical laugh, before her spirits sank again.

Korra stood silently through most of the conversation until she finally questioned, "Do you think he...ran off?"

"Matokka would never do something so stupid!" I exclaimed incredulously. Korra glared at me for my outburst. I felt bad about yelling, but hurt that she would insult his honor like that. Even so, I tried to remedy my rudeness. "Sorry. I just meant that he has done some...juvenile things in the past, but running away? That's extreme. Why would he want to? Where would he go? How would he live? There are so many reasons why that doesn't even make sense. But even if he had run away – for whatever illogical reason that may be – he would have said something to someone. To Makita, to me, to Katara, to...someone!"

She held up her hands defensively. "Hey, just trying to help. Okay, so if he didn't run off, kidnapped, maybe?"

"Kidnappers? Here? Not likely."

"Okay then, _Miss Priss_, do _you_ have any theories?"

"Well...no," I admitted, but I continued before she could make another snarky comment. "But there has to be something we can go on. Makita, is there anywhere you think he would have gone?"

The tired woman smiled knowingly at me. "You would know the answer to that better than I would, Katalana. You spent much more time with him than I ever got the chance to."

Her saying that caused my cheeks to burn, but in an oddly pleasing way. She was probably exaggerating a bit, but on the other hand, it really wasn't hard to believe. Matokka and I _had_ spent a lot of time together over the years. Thinking that, I was ashamed for taking him away from her – for taking away so much time that they could have spent together as mother and son – but knowing that Matokka _chose_ to spend more of his time with me gave me a warm feeling throughout.

Out of guilt or compassion, or maybe both, I reached out and took one of her hands into mine. "I'm sorry," I said softly.

Smiling ever-so-slightly, she nodded. "That's alright. He was happy. That was all I ever wanted for him."

Korra, getting back to the task at hand, broke in. "Sorry to ruin the moment, but, if Matokka is missing, then we really should come up with a plan for finding him. Any ideas? Katalana?"

I shook my head, frustrated. "He and I have explored every inch of this continent, he could be literally anywhere. There are a few places that we favored over others, but it could take us days, weeks, to cover it all again. And with winter setting in, there's not much of a chan-" I stopped myself, glancing discretely at Makita. "Winter would hinder our search."

"So where do we start?"

Makita spoke up first. "How about we head back to our home? That was the last place he was seen."

"Good thinking," Korra praised, as we all headed to the stables for her to saddle up Naga.

I followed slowly behind. _Oh, Matokka, you crazy fool!_ I thought jokingly, trying to distract myself from worrying. _What have you gotten yourself into this time?_

.

.

.

"Hi Khani! Down girl, _down_!" I giggled, as the Pygmy Wolf-Fox pressed her front paws against my legs in excitement. After crouching to pet her, she pounced up onto my legs and licked my face happily.

Makita let loose a nostalgic sigh. "Someone sure missed you. It's been a while since you visited last."

"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just hard to find the time to get away from the Order."

"I understand. Well, I would offer you ladies a look around, but there really isn't much to look _at_, I'm afraid," she explained, motioning to the cramped, two-room igloo.

There was a makeshift kitchen on the right side of the room, and a folded mat on the other. Korra knelt down next to the mat on the floor – Makita's bed. She checked inside, underneath, and around the mat in search of perhaps a misplaced note. But it was clean. Nothing was there. While she covered the front room, I investigated the back. Matokka's room. It was significantly smaller than the central room, but inside were so few belongings that it gave an impression of being somewhat larger than it actually was. There was a mat neatly folded and pushed along the far wall; a wide, but short wardrobe stood beside the door; a long, but narrow writing desk on the opposite side of the bed; and a small door to the outside between the bed and the desk.

It wasn't like I had never been in his room before. On the contrary, I had run in there to grab something for him all the time. When we were little he was always forgetting a flashlight or a rope or even a coat to wear out on our frostbitten excursions. But that was different. He'd always been waiting right outside. With him gone, I felt as though I was intruding on his personal life – trespassing on sacred ground.

After remaining in the doorway for quite some time, I finally dared to enter the hollow room. Carefully I unfolded his mat, checking for notes as Korra had done with Makita's bed. Nothing. Then I wandered to the wardrobe and pulled the dark wooden doors back, revealing a line of mostly well-worn shirts, pants, and coats – all casual, all stretched out of shape, all unraveling at the seems, all full of holes. Typical. Slowly I ran my fingers along the corners of the wardrobe, feeling for...I wasn't sure what, but something, anything, that might have helped solve our case. Nothing. Finally, I checked his desk. The top was clean, save a few worn-out homeschooling textbooks and an old mason jar used to hold a pen and a couple broken pencils. There was a picture pinned at eye level above the desk. It was a photo of us when we were little, about six or seven I supposed. Arms linked, smiles bright, our outermost hands curled in a thumbs up, we showed off the first fish we ever caught together. That was the only picture we had of us together. Neither of our families had a camera, but our town's unofficial bookkeeper had one and kindly captured the moment for us.

The drawers were mostly the same as the desk itself, vacant, except for a few random household items. A pair of scissors, a watch, some loose coins, a pocket knife, a flashlight, and a few papers about shipbuilding, map-making, and nursing. Normally I would have overlooked all of those items; they wouldn't have seemed important to me before. _What are these?_ I wondered, taking a closer look at the papers. _They look almost like handbills for people searching for jobs. Was Matokka looking for a job? He could have been. I mean, I guess we'd run out of places to explore eventually. He'd have to have something to do with his life! But these jobs are all so different,_ I noticed. _Shipbuilding...sounds easy enough, but...wasn't that the job that killed his father? Why would he want to follow in his footsteps, knowing it was dangerous? And map-making, that sounds a bit more like him. He'd get to travel some, draw shorelines and scale mountains and whatnot. But this flier for a nursing position...it doesn't look like the other two. It's handwritten...signed by Katara! Does he want to be a healer? A healer who's not a bender? Is that even possible? Did this come about because of his fall? Because of saving Khani? Why didn't he tell me about any of this?_

"He wanted to surprise you."

I turned to see Makita standing at the entrance to the room, her arms crossed over her body comfortingly, as she leaned against the door frame. "How do you two _do_ that? How do you always know what I'm thinking without me saying anything aloud?"

She shrugged. "Because we know you."

"I may be a little predictable, but am I really _that_ bad?"

Korra's voice sounded from the next room over. "Without a doubt."

I sighed and called, "Wasn't talking to you!"

"I know!"

Turning my attention back to Makita, I resumed our conversation. "So what did you mean by 'he wanted to surprise' me?"

"He wanted to get a job to prove how dedicated he was to you. He wanted to be able to support himself, to support you, and maybe one day...a family."

For a while I couldn't meet her eyes; I stared at nothing in particular that was sitting on the far side of the room. "How do you know all of this?"

Makita laughed gently. "I'm his mother; it's my job to know what he's up to. Besides," she added, "he doesn't keep much from me anyway. He's a talker. He can't go five minutes without making some speech or another."

I let out an amused huff through my nose. "Now that I already know. But do you think that these are any of the places he could have gone?" I asked, holding up the handbills.

She shook her head. "He's already been to those places. He was accepted by all three employers; he just had to chose which employer to work for."

"Smart guy. And thoughtful... I just can't believe he went through all of this for me," I said in awe.

"You don't believe me? Just look in there..." She nodded toward a large tin pail beside the desk. The first thing I noticed was a bunch of wadded up sheets of paper. "Rough drafts of letters to you. Proposals, I think. Despite his love for rambling, he wanted to get this speech right."

Slowly I reached into the bucket and removed a few of the letters from the top. Using the side of his desk, I flattened and smoothed them out. My eyes scanned over them. Much of the words and phrases I recognized from the proposal he ended up giving me, but many of them were new – some highlighted, some crossed out, some even cut out of the paper entirely. Just as I was tipping the bucket to put the letters back in, a chorus of tiny clanks caught my attention. I tipped the tin further and peered in. Inside were dozens of stones, all of them chipped, chinked, or crushed, surrounded by millions of tiny shavings – obviously the products of many failed attempts to carve a betrothal necklace. _Aw,_ I thought, touched. _He really went through a lot of trouble..._

Makita continued leaning against the door frame, smiling, as she rubbed her own betrothal necklace. "Matokka spent _weeks_ working on those. I lost count of how many hours he spent in here carving them. He wanted it to be perfect... You really mean a lot to him."

I smiled too, then stood up and crossed the room to hug her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear."

We separated when Korra approached us from behind Makita. "Come on, there's nothing here that could help us. Is there somewhere else we could look?"

"I have a few ideas."

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Kat: Soooo...sorry, 'nother hindrance before they can leave for Republic City! Man, with so many things going wrong it seems like they'll never get to leave! But they will - promise! Just not right now. I feel like I've said this all before... Prob 'cause I have, but anyway! Hope y'all enjoyed and I hope to get some feedback! Congrats &amp; many thanks to my friend **Lordstone** for being the only one thus far to comment!

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I do not own TLOK or any of its characters, settings, themes, etc. I do, however, lay claim to all of these scenes &amp; especially Makita!

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May not be another chapter for a while, unfortunately. Unit tests, EOC's, SAT's, ACT's, &amp; AP tests are all coming up soon, as well as a bunch of bowling practices &amp; tournaments, choir rehearsals &amp; concerts, church activities, photography assignments/stress, and loads and loads and loads of hmwk of course! But I'll try to work as much as I can whenever I can! Thanks for your patience! :D


	7. Chapter 7

Kat: Okay, last chapter before they get to Republic City. Sorry it took so long but thanks for sticking with me! (My USB drive was wiped clean - idk how - so, while I had saved most of it to my laptop, I lost over a month's worth of revisions. *SIGH* Sorry again. Anyway, there's really not much to say about this chapter except that there are a few scenes that you should recognize from the show! Enjoy! :D

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It was only when Naga whined and laid down, covering her nose with her paws, that we ceased our search for the night. We'd tried tracking Matokka for hours with nothing to go on. Any lingering scent of him had gone stale, footprints were buried rapidly by the brewing storm. The only things we could think of doing were asking around town if anyone had seen him, then organizing search parties to get more coverage of the Pole. With one day wasted, we had just one day left before we would have to leave for Republic City. That night I was so worried that I couldn't sleep, and what little sleep I _was_ granted proved weak and fitful. Many times I would simply give up and pace the floor. It was useless going out again; I would have frozen to death before morning.

The next day was even worse than its predecesor. The trail – if there had been one at all – was even fainter than before and we had already checked all of Matokka's favorite places to visit. The only obvious place I hadn't checked was the spot where he fell – the spot where he proposed. I promised myself I wouldn't go back there yet; it would have been too painful. But with no time and no choice left, I finally returned late that second night. The sky was dark; no starlight nor moonlight graced the frozen cliffside. The snow was thick underfoot, as it had fallen unceasingly since noon, as I stood on the ledge looking out over the Antarctic seas. When I had been there only two days before, nothing had ever made me happier, but after having lost the person I had shared it with, so was lost the scene's former enchantment.

"Katalana?"

Via my seismic sense, I could just make out the faint outline of a teenage girl standing about five feet behind me.

"Katalana?" she asked again.

My depresseion plummeted, but my frustration spiked. "Don't bother, Korra. I know what you're thinking – even without having to read your mind," I muttered without turning to face her, nor bothering to read her true thoughts. "We can't leave yet. I _won't_ leave yet. It was hard enough knowing we were going away without having to worry about Matokka's safety, but now you're suggesting that we go without knowing if he's even alive?"

"That's not what I-"

"No! I'm not convinced he's gone. It's only been two days. There's still a chance for us to find him. I'm not going yet. Not until I _know_."

"I know but-"

"Do you? Do you know?" I paused, choking back tears. "Have you ever been in this position before? Not knowing if someone you love is safe? No! Of course you haven't." Stopping, I chuckled indignantly and turned to face her. She was indeed about five feet away, her head tilted down, eyes sad, hands out as if she was trying to explain something. I didn't give her the chance to. "Our lives have been just peachy-keen up until now. We've always had everything we ever wanted, and everything was handed right to us. Food, shelter, clothes, emergency care, schooling, weapons, a structured lifestyle. We had great parents, the very best of the best when it came to teachers and coaches and masters. And I'm not complaining about any of that! We are very blessed to have had all of those things. But that hasn't exactly prepared us for this. What good is knowing how to play Pi Sho when someone we love is fighting for their life? What good is knowing how to fight with earth or fire when it can't protect someone who is freezing to death? This is what you've been waiting for, what you've wanted your whole life. You've wanted nothing more than to have the chance to go out and actually save someone, to put to good use everything that you've been taught, but now you want us to just pass this up for a few years more of training? You want to give up on your first chance to do something that matters? This is a huge opportunity for you to show the world that the Avatar is back, young and full of life after seventeen years of waiting, but this isn't about just you or me. This is _someone else's life_ at stake. Think about if it was me that was out there. Alone, starving, maybe hurt, the bitter cold seeping through my thin coat down to my skin, to my bones, my muscles, stopping my heart." I turned to face the open night sky, my gaze floating out over the horizon. My voice came out softer then, barely above a whisper. "Wouldn't you do anything and everything you could to help me?"

"Of course, but if you would just let me-"

"No! N-O. No," I yelled stubbornly, whirling around to face her. She winced, as if my anger possessed some power to physically harm her. It wasn't as though spite or disconcern radiated off of her or that she was even anywhere close to being so, but, blinded by pain, I ignored what might have been her attempt at an apology. "I would do anything for you in a heartbeat – and that's exactly what I would, should, and can do for him. I just need more time."

"Kat-"

"Look, I know that you want to go train – and I want that for you too – but I couldn't bear leaving while I know there's more I can do! There's a blizzard coming, we both can sense that, so don't you see how dire a situation this is? There is a man out there who may or may not be able to survive on his own. Leaving means we are condemning him to die. Staying would give him a chance! If you want to go ahead and abandon him, then go right ahead, but that's-"

_"Shut up!"_ she mentally screamed at me.

Her suddenness caught me off guard, but I found it annoying that she would interrupt me like that. Aggrivated, I opened my mouth to tell her off but was stopped by her ongoing thoughts.

_"Oh don't give me that. You weren't listening to a word I said anyway. You may be able to drown out my voice, but you sure can't overpower my thoughts. I know you're hurting, but there's no need to take it out on me." _She let loose a tired sigh. She really did appear to be appologizing, despite her irritation with me. _"Listen-"_

_"Do I really have a choice?"_

"Um...no," she answered aloud after a moment of pretend thought. She smiled grimly at her own response. "Just hear me out, okay?"

I couldn't bring myself to reply. I turned my face down toward the snow so that she knew I was listening – reluctantly, but listening. I couldn't help but feel both irked and grateful for Korra's stubbornness. It was likely she would tell me off or point out some flaw in my thinking, but it was equally as likely that it would be something I needed to hear, and she would likely be right. "Listen, I _know_ it's hard. It's hard for me too. He was a good friend to both of us. Granted, he may have plopped me down on the sidelines if it came to chosing between the two of us, but we were close enough. But what makes this hard – really hard – is seeing you like this. Seeing you want to either punch something or break down in tears; hearing you pace up and down our room all hours of the night; feeling you beat yourself up about this like his disappearance was your fault. But it wasn't, okay? It was _not_ your fault. There wasn't anything you or I or anyone else could do to prevent this."

"And I realize that, but that's what scares me the most. We couldn't do anything for him when it happened, so what if there's nothing we can do for him now?"

"Katalana, do you know why I came up here?"

Begrudgingly I shook my head.

"I came up here not to tell you off and not to try to coax you to leave or to drag you kicking and screaming off this bitter ice block. I came up to tell you that there is hope. I came up here to tell you that we _will_ find him."

As great as that sounded, I guarded myself from getting my hopes too high. There was too much heartbreak in my life as it was to only set myself up for another one. "How can we possibly do that in one night? We haven't had any luck for the past two whole days. What makes you think we can accomplish something in the few hours we have left? We leave _tomorrow_, Korra. Or have you forgotten?"

"I haven't forgotten," she said softly. What surprised me about her remark was not the fact that she seemed to be contradicting herself, but I definitely heard that unmistakable smirk in her tone. Confused, I looked up again, and she clarified her statement. "We're not going anywhere."

Knitting my eyebrows together as my befuddlement lingered, I allowed enough time for her announcement to sink in. When it did, the tension in my shoulders weakened, my face relaxed, and my eyes slowly widened. "You mean...we're staying?"

"For now, at least. I talked to the sentries about it and called Tenzin immediately after that. They all agreed that this is an emergency and they're allowing us to delay our trip." She punched my arm before I could respond. "Come on, I'm not _that_ self-centered!"

"You're...serious?" I asked, completely ignoring the new throbbing sensation in my arm.

"Duh! I wouldn't make that up! Seriously, though, did you really think I was so focused on my own training schedule that I wouldn't try to help you or our best and only friend?" My smile couldn't restrain itself from unfolding, and I shot forward to give Korra a huge thank-you hug, lifting her off the ground in my elation. "Okay, okay, don't get all mushy on me."

"I don't care, I'm going to anyway!" I giggled, smiling uncontrollably, then finally set her down. A careful step back allowed me to compose myself and room for her to breathe. "Sorry."

A small smile formed on her lips as she held out her hand bring me back to the compoud. "No problem. We'll go back out and reorganize our serach parties first thing in the morning. Now that we have a plan, I just hope you and I both can sleep soundly again."

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Living in such a small village meant that everyone knew practically everyone else. News traveled quickly about what had happened, and most everyone was willing to devote their time to lend a hand in the search. Nice folks like them would have done it regaurdless of who was missing, but for such a well-liked guy like Matokka they were willing to put forth some extra effort to bring him home safely. Korra and I took charge dividing people up into teams and sending them in opposite directions to cover more ground. Some to the north, past the village; to the east, up in the mountains; to the south, near Otter-Penguin Slope; to the west, near the docs.

The groups searched for hours, which turned into days that dragged on into weeks, then months. All the while, the teams grew smaller and smaller. Most of the volunteers had given up after a month or two. Eventually a whole year went by, and there was still no sign of Matokka.

Finally, it was down to just two people searching. It was just Korra and I left. Everyone else returned to their normal routines, normal jobs, normal lives. If I could, I would have done the same.

There was just one little problem with that.

Exactly one year after his disappearance, the day following my birthday, I returned to our ledge. Over time I had developed a habit of fiddling with my betrothal necklace when I grew nervous. At first it was a concious tick; I rubbed it whenever I felt alone so that I could be closer to him. But after a while I began to do it subconciously, and more frequently. As time plodded along, my hopes sank and my fiddling became something I almost had to do in order to keep my sanity. That night was no exception. My gloved fingers traced the rough groves along the perfect blue stone and followed them up to the silk thread by which it hung. My gaze remained locked on the horizon, unwavering as I recalled the distant past. His arms around me, the gentle heat of his body filtering through his thick parka, our lips meeting for the first time... "Oh, Matokka, where are you?"

"Katalana?"

Hearing a voice call my name gave me a sudden burst of hope and I whirled around, half-expecting to see Matokka.

But I should have known.

"Oh, hi Korra."

"Katalana," she repeated softly. Her head was down, and her fingers played with the folds of her pants. I could feel her heart thumping anxiously and the tightness of her vocal chords as she tried to speak. She acted as though whatever she had to say would be said against her will. Her voice caught in her throat with every word, like she was trying to swallow the words someone was forcing past her lips. Finally, life was breathed into her words. Ironically, the life in her words brought death to my heart. She could feel my pain; I could feel hers. We had done this all before. A day short of a year ago. Playing the role a second time only solidified its weight.

"Katalana, it's time."

I didn't reply.

"We _have_ to go. I can't risk waiting any longer to learn air- or earthbending."

All I could stand to do was stare at the icy grass at my feet.

"Kat- I- I don't mean to sound insensitive, but" -she paused to swallow her stutter- "It's been a year. If there was any chance of him coming home...don't you think he would have shown up by now?"

Again I didn't reply. Tears piled up along my eyelids, pressing forth with so much strength that I surprised myself with how well I held back such a persistant flow.

"If it's any consolation, I don't think badly of him. He wouldn't have run off and left you. And if he was kidnapped, he would have done everything in his power to get back to you. It's still unknown what truly happened to him, but with a year gone and no notice from him or from anyone who might have known his whereabouts, it's very possible that – out in that storm – that he-"

"_Died_?" I muttered bitterly.

Korra faultered, and she shrank back from my tone, trying to refrain from deepening my hurt. If I wasn't so emotionally wounded I would have laughed. Seemed like I was the only person who could ever get the mighty Avatar to question herself. "I wasn't going to say _that_, exactly, but...yes."

"If he did, don't you think that we would have at least found his _body_?" I spat.

"Well, not necessarily-"

"Korra, stop. I don't want to hear it." I pivoted to face the barren tundra, unable to look at her any longer.

"I know you don't, but don't you think it's time to let him go? I really don't mean to sound insensitive, but...as I said...it's been a year. Don't you think it's time to...move on?"

Her words weren't violent or full of malice, even so, it felt like each one had taken that hole in my heart and doubled its size, ripping it further and further apart. But, as much as I dreaded to admit it...she was probably right. It had been a year. Twelve months. Fifty-two weeks. Three hundred and sixty five days. A year. A whole year.

With great effort, I heaved a weighty sigh and let my head drop. I still couldn't turn to face her, but that time it was my own guilt that prevented me from doing so. Korra sensed it, and she shuffled her way over to me.

"I'm...sorry," I said, my words hollow.

"Don't worry about it."

"I shouldn't have blown up at you... It's just that..."

"You don't have to..."

"If only I knew... He just...vanished. There was no evidence, no clue to follow, nothing! He's just...gone."

"I know," she said, resting a hand on my shoulder. It was a gentle act of kindness. A few soft words and a delicate touch, but both felt like the heavy hand of fate weighing down on me, cutting off my last hope of finding him. There was nothing else I could do. "Come on, we better go. Tenzin is picking us up early tomorrow morning."

"Alright, just...could you give me a minute?"

"Take all the time you need." She gave me a quick hug, then started on her way back to the compound.

Meanwhile, I stayed behind, looking back out to sea again. It looked exactly as it did a year ago – the ice turned peach and gold by the setting sun, the mountains casting long lavender shadows across the tundra. I could almost imagine the feel of strong fingers wrapping around mine, warming and protecting them from the bitter cold. He'd been so awkward, yet so confident. And I was...even more awkward, yet equally entranced. I remembered sitting on that ledge, anxious, but ready to begin a whole new life. I smiled at the memory, never wanting to let it go, but knowing that Korra was right. It was for the best.

With one last heavy sigh, I looked out across the ice one more time.

"Goodbye, Matokka."

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"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Oh _please_ tell me we're here! This place looks familiar. Are we there yet?" sang Ikki – Tenzin's middle child – as she bounced up and down on her father's Sky Bison.

The aging master sighed. After having seen Jinora through her early childhood, he thought that he would have known how to handle her younger sister. But unlike his twelve year old, his nine year old was significantly more energized and not-so-easily entertained. And her unsatisfyable curiosity was grinding thin on his nerves. It was only after years of praying for peace that the airbender could remain so calm. The only visible sign of his irritation was a twitching brow. "Yes, Ikki. As I have been telling you for the past _fifteen minutes_, we are, _finally_, here."

"Yay!" she squealed as their Sky Bison landed. She leaped through the air, then manifested a small wind-ball beneath her so she could float gracefully to the ground.

A small welcoming committee awaited the group's arrival, a committee consisting of only myself, Korra, and Katara. The elderly waterbender stepped in front of me and my sister to greet her family. She laughed, then helped Tenzin get Meelo, his youngest, to release his grip on him. Meelo, the squirmy four year old, promptly started struggling free. "Unhand me strange woman!" He demanded.

"She's your grandmother, Meelo," Tenzin explained gently.

Meelo stopped struggling, but after a quick pause to look at her, he forced the air beneath him to rise, causing him to do a flip over Katara's head.

Then Tenzin, noticing his wife dismounting Oogi, rushed over to her. "Easy now, Pema. Don't strain yourself."

"Stop doting on me," she chided, slapping his hand not roughly nor gently. "I'm not helpless, I'm just _pregnant_!"

At the same time, Jinora approached Katara, holding a well-loved book to her chest. "Gran Gran, I've been reading all about your past adventures with Grandpa Aang and your friends and I've been _dying_ to ask you...whatever happened to Zuko's mom?"

Katara smiled at the girl's enthusiasm and interest in history. "Well Jinora, it's a wonderful tale! It was shortly after the Hundred Year War, when I-"

"Gran Gran, you look old! How old _are_ you? Do you think we can make a fire and huddle around it and tell stories? Could we build a snowman? Ooh! Then could you use waterbending to make it move and chase us? Wouldn't that be fun? Huh? Huh? Can we? Can we _please_?!" Ikki interrupted, her mouth working faster than her brain. Jinora glared at her sister for cutting off the answer to her question while Katara just stared at Ikki blankly, unsure of how to respond to her rapid-fire requests.

Tenzin and Pema stepped forward to greet her. Katara patted Pema's swollen stomach and smiled in a way that only mothers can. "The baby is _strong._ I sense another airbender in your future!"

Immediately the warm smile of the fourth-time mother-to-be faded into a vexed frown. "Just once, I would like to have a _normal_ child. A nice, _nonbender_ who wouldn't blast wind in my face every five seconds."

As she said this, Meelo piped up from inside his self-made snowman. "Mommy look! I'm a snowbender!" he exclaimed, spinning. He used the air around him to spray snow in all directions, including a huge glob that splattered in Pema's face. Meelo had just proven her point flawlessly.

The exhausted parents turned back to Katara, then Tenzin smiled, noticing the two teens behind her. "Korra? Katalana?" His face lit up and he opened his arms for us to hug him. I don't think he expected to see us so grown up yet. He had known us all our lives, and tried to visit several times a year. At least, he had in the past. Our sixteenth birthday was the last time he was here, and I wondered why. Little did I know that we were about to find out.

We accepted his embrace willingly, and we stepped back, beaming. Korra addressed him first, which was probably a good thing because she was about to bubble over in excitement. "Master Tenzin, I am _so_ glad that you're here. I can't wait to start training with you."

Instantly Tenzin faltered. Pema noticed his hesitancy and laid a hand on her husband's shoulder. "You'll have to tell her sooner or later."

Korra glanced between the pair. "Wait – tell me what?"

Looking up at her son sadly, Katara guessed what was on his mind. "You're not taking them to Republic City, are you?"

"They need me," he began. "The complications there are too severe to leave for too long. It's too dangerous for the girls to come at this time."

"But- no! We're supposed to go. You-you're supposed to teach me!" Korra protested. Her voice rose an octave as her desperation grew.

"I'm sorry, Korra, but it's out of my hands."

Korra pursed her lips together angrily after realizing that there was nothing she could do. Arguing would do nothing to earn his favor. Finally she settled on storming off after muttering a pointed, "Whatever."

Tenzin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. His mother, wife, and I all stepped closer to try to comfort him. Before he could get too down on himself, I intervened. "I'll go talk to her once she has had a chance to cool down. She's been looking forward to this for a long time and I'm sorry to say that the delay has been mostly my fault."

"Thank you Katalana, your support is greatly appreciated. My family and I will stay for the remainder of the day, but after dinner we shall promptly return to Republic City."

"As you wish," I replied, tipping my head respectfully.

At that point, Ikki and Meelo started pelting Oogi with airbended snowballs, so to spare the gentle giant I suggested that I take the kids on a tour of the compound to keep them occupied.

Tenzin readily agreed.

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The patriarch of the airbending family was true to his word; he and his family left immediately following supper. After sending them off, I headed straight for bed. I walked down the hall to our room and waved my hand for the door to slide open. Inside, I crossed the room to sit facing the vanity. I started unbraiding my hair while staring at myself in the mirror. I looked normal; bright green earthbender eyes, long brown waterbender hair...yet something seemed different. Changed. I shrugged the feeling off when I realized that I hadn't seen Korra since before our evening meal. In fact, she hadn't even eaten at the table with the rest of us; she picked up her plate and went elsewhere. At the time I had assumed she brought it back to our room, but after having been there for a good ten minutes or so made it obvious that she hadn't stayed long.

_"Hey Korra, where'd you go?"_

Nothing.

_Strange,_ I thought to myself. _She always replies..._ Curious, I meandered through the corridors of the compound, asking whomever came along if they had seen Korra. No one had – which was ironic considering it was their job to know where the Avatar was at all times. I tried calling out to her several more times after that with no response. By the time the stars were out, worry began to take over. I tried calling her again._ "Come on, Korra, this isn't funny. Where are you?"_

There was still no answer. Trying not to panic, I distracted myself with reasons as to why she wouldn't have answered. _We've lived with this mind-reading ability for years now, but I guess there are still things we never discovered about it. Like maybe it only works at close range. Or maybe there's some kinds of materials that cancel out the thought waves. Or maybe-_ I shook my head. That was getting me no where. On the other hand, it was more helpful than thinking the worst. My best friend vanished without a trace, and as Korra told me the night before, it was very likely that he wasn't coming back – that maybe he _couldn't_ come back. A sickening knot twisted up in my stomach when I realized that Korra could have been the next victim. _One more time,_ I thought. _"Korra, this is getting old. Where. Are. You?"_

_"__Seriously?" _she asked casually, not seeing a problem. _"I'm in our room."_

_"Seriously?!"_

_"You should have checked here first."_

"Korra!"

"What?"

Agitation had crept up on me when she finally responded and I rushed back to our room. As I would have found her on any other day, she was lying back on her bed, her legs kicked up against the wall, twirling her wrist to make a burst of fire and a blob of water dance in a circle above her head.

"Where were you?!"

"In the stables with Naga."

"Really? Why didn't you answer?"

"I _did_!"

I crossed my arms over my chest and jutted out a hip, annoyed. "The _first_ time."

She shrugged. Then she extinguished the fire and motioned for the water to drain back into a cup on her night stand. "I'm going to bed. You should too. It's late."

"It's eight o'clock!"

"It's never too early to be late."

"Huh? What does that even- Oh, never mind." Her logic would never make sense to me, so I simply gave up and crawled in bed as well – though I wasn't planning on going to sleep.

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My suspicions were laid to rest when a window opened sometime later that night. The chill of the darkness blew through the gaping shutters. I heard one, two, three footsteps, a soft grunt, the creak of wooden boards, and the gentle thud of two furry boots hitting the snow outside. Three minutes went by before allowing myself to get up and follow. My clothes were still on from earlier so changing wouldn't be a problem. The breeze whipped my hair into my face, making me regret taking my hair down previously. Snowflakes floated down to earth peacefully. It would have been nice if it were not quite so cold. I pulled my coat tighter around me as the stables came into view.

A hushed voice drifted to my ears through the howling wind. "Easy there, Naga. We're just going on a little trip."

Peeking around the corner, the dim glow of a lantern revealed Korra standing next to her pet Polar-Bear-Dog – on whom Korra had already mounted a saddle.

I sneaked through the open doors and crept into the flickering light. Through gritted teeth I whispered rather loudly, "Korra! What are you doing?!"

My sister spun around, startled. When she saw me, her shock fell flat into desperate anger. "Katalana? What are you doing here? Why did you follow me?"

"I came to make sure you weren't doing what I thought you were doing. You're running away to Republic City!"

She took no more than four strides in the time it would require to take eight and smothered my mouth with her hand. Her eyes shifted back and forth suspiciously._ "Shush! Do you want the whole camp to hear?"_

Seeing as I had no choice but to think, I thought, _"I don't know. Do I?"_

"No! I am going to Republic City tonight and there is nothing you can do or say to stop me. I've lost enough time as it is."

_"__Are you blaming _me_ for your lack of training?"_ I asked incredulously, pointing to myself.

_"__N-no! Of course not! I'm just saying – er, thinking – that I am seventeen years old and I still have not been able to use half of my Avatar abilities!"_

After she removed her hand from my mouth, my own thoughts continued. _"So? Tenzin can only teach you _one_ element – air. I can teach you _two_ – earth and metal. And you can learn them here – without having to run away."_

"I've tried! But you've seen how much I struggle. I've done everything I can to learn it but it isn't working. Training with Tenzin is my only shot at getting out of this frozen wasteland. The world needs me, but I can't very well do anything about it while I'm stuck at the southernmost point on the globe. But I guess I shouldn't expect you to understand."

"But-"

"Nice night for an escape, isn't it?"

That new voice caused Korra and I to both jump and pivot. In the doorway stood Katara, smiling at us like she knew exactly what was going on – which she did.

Korra stepped forward, uncharicteristically soft, and embraced her. "I have to go. It's my duty as the Avatar."

"I know it is – you must remember that I lived with the last Avatar since I was younger than you are now." She chuckled, reliving old memories. Then, her face growing sober again, she went on. "My brother and many of my friends are now gone, but you, Korra, will accomplish great things in life – along with your sister. The two of you will go to Republic City and receive the instruction and guidance you need. I trust my son well enough to know how to handle the likes of you girls. But, I must warn you to always be on your guard. Republic City is like nothing you have ever seen here in the South Pole, and things there are not always what they seem. Always stay close to each other – you're bending is stronger when you are together. But...choose carefully who you are seen by whenever and whereever you are. You're faces are recognizable, and that is a dangerous blessing. Be safe, girls. May the good Lord guide you and keep you well."

"Thank you." Korra said, stepping back, allowing me to hug her next.

As I leaned over the old woman to hug her, she whispered in my ear. "Anytime you can't stop her, go with her. She needs you now more than ever."

I gave her a quiet "yes ma'am" and "thank you" before straightening myself up again. "So what now?"

"Now, you go," Katara said to the both of us.

"Both of us?" Korra asked, using a finger to point repeatedly to herself and me.

I turned to her in mock offense. "Well you didn't plan on leaving your sister behind, did you?"

It was hard to tell in the dim light, but I was pretty sure her face paled a shade or two.

After rolling my eyes, I said with certainty, "Alright. But how were you planning on getting there? I know that Polar-Bear-Dogs are excellent swimmers, but _crossing an ocean_? That would sap a whole lot of energy out of Naga."

"Don't worry, I've got a plan,"

"That's real reassuring."

"_Trust me_."

"Um..." Her words brought back wonderful and painful memories. I thought back to a year ago. Matokka had used those same two little words. Trusting him when he was acting normal would have been weird, trusting him when he was acting weird was totally out of my character. Even so, everything turned out fine. But that was Matokka. This was Korra. Those two _did_ have somewhat similar personalities, but Matokka never really got us into any _real_ _trouble_ – well, not knowingly. Korra had.

"Oh don't be such a worrier. I know what I'm doing."

"If you say so..."

Korra stuck a foot in one of Naga's stirrups and swung a leg over her back, then outstretched her arm so that I could haul myself up after her. Katara waved as we rode away, but we stopped to first say goodbye to our parents. They were sad to see us go, but they agreed that it was time.

"So, now all we have to do is get past the gatekeeper. Got a plan?" I asked.

"It's simple. All we – well, _I_ – have to do, is go up there, do a little waterbending, a little freezing, pull the lever, and we're on our way!"

"Wait, you're going to _freeze the guards_?! That's a little extreme, don't you think?"

"They'll be fine. They'll thaw out enough by morning."

"I'm not so sure that-"

"Do you want to get out of here or what?" she snapped.

I hummed and nodded my head from side to side, still not completely comfortable with the idea, especially since I almost considered some of them to be my friends. But if it was for the greater good... "Fine. Do what you gotta do. Just do it quickly."

Before I could even finish my statement, Korra had leaped from her seat and made a mad dash for the wall. She built up speed and used the snow beneath her to propel herself several stories up and over the ledge. The sound of men grunting and water solidifying floated down to my seat. Soon enough, the gates squeaked open. From the tower, Korra gave me a thumbs up. I whipped Naga's reigns and the Polar-Bear-Dog took off at a gallop. I lurched in my seat then buckled down to keep the wind from stinging my face. At the same time, Korra shut the gates again, then laid in wait. Once I was a safe distance away she burst from her post. Using the same technique as before, she used the snow to slow her descent. She landed perfectly in the saddle behind me.

"Have you done this before?"

"Maybe once or twice," she lied.

"Sure," I remarked sarcastically. Then I pulled the reigns sharply to the right. "Hang on, there's one more person I want to say goodbye to."

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The Polar-Bear-Dog slowed to a halt in front of a small, two-room igloo. I slid off the creature's back and knocked on the door. There were soft shuffling noises on the opposite side. The door squeaked open a minute later by a tired woman with graying hair. "Makita," I said gently, leaning in for a hug.

She responded lovingly and I could see her tired smile when we parted. "Katalana, what an unexpected surprise. Please, won't you come in?"

"Uh, no, thank you. Unfortunately I don't have much time. I'm sorry to have woken you, but there wasn't going to be another opportunity."  
"Opportunity for what?" Her voice was honestly happy, but her soft gray-blue eyes still revealed her lingering sorrow. There were dark circles under her eyes and her usually neat hair hung limp in her face. She leaned on the edge of the door for support as she waited for my answer.

"To say goodbye. We're leaving for Republic City tonight. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving without doing so."

"Thank you, dear. That was so thoughtful of you." She paused. For a moment she gazed up at me lovingly, then took my hands into her own. "You know, Katalana, you may not have had the chance to officially marry my son, but I want you to know that you have always been considered a part of this family."

Always a part of their family? Really? Makita had always been like a second mother to me, but to hear her say that she felt the same tugged at my heart, and I almost couldn't stop the tears that welled up in my eyes.

"I can't thank you enough for all that you've done this past year. You and Korra sacrificed so much."

"But...we never found him. I feel like all that time searching was for nothing."

"No, dear, not nothing." She laid a motherly hand on my cheek. "You could never be farther from the truth. Matokka loves you so, _so_ much, and you obviously love him too. He would have done whatever it took to find you if this had been reversed."

"But that's why I feel so _guilty_. By leaving now, I feel like we're giving up on him – like _I'm_ giving up on him. I feel like I'm betraying him."

Makita shook her head. "No. Matokka would not blame you for leaving now. This is a situation that you don't have any control over, so there is no need to feel guilty. He would know that you did everything you could. That's enough to know that he was truly more than just your friend."

The intimacy of the conversation was starting to become overwhelming, and it took everything in me to keep from falling apart emotionally. The one thing that kept me sane was a familiar whine coming from just inside the door of the igloo. A moment later a furry little head popped out, the rest of the body following. I knelt down beside the Pygmy and stoked her head as she wagged her tail happily. "Hi Khani, hey girl! Yeah, I'm gonna miss you too."

"Take her."

My head snapped up at Makita's voice, not sure if I understood her clearly. "What?"

"Take her," she said again. "She'd be better off with you than me."

"No, I couldn't do that!"

"Go ahead. You and Matokka found her together, and if anything were to happen to him, this is how he would have wanted it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, dear. Besides," she laughed a little. "I'm much too old to play with her anyway."

"Well...alright. Thank you." I glanced at Korra – who was watching the scene with every bit of emotion that we displayed – and then back at Makita. "We'd better go. I promise I'll come back and visit."

Makita leaned down and picked up Khani and cradled her for a moment, then placed her gently in my arms. I set her carefully in Naga's saddlebag and gave Makita one last hug. "Goodbye."

She stood in the doorway and waved until she could no longer see us. We raced across the frozen sea until we reached the docks. There,we stayed hidden in the shadows before sneaking aboard a cargo ship sailing for Republic City. It was fairly simple, as it was pitch black and there were few crew members out at such a late hour. When we boarded, we crept down to the lower-most deck and hid behind a stack of crates – each one labeled with a difference type of fish or animal pelt. I had bet that Korra was glad Naga couldn't read.

The ship rocked in place rhythmically, and we could hear the crew above deck stomping around doing their duties and shouting orders to cast off. Even with all the noise, Korra and I didn't dare make a sound in fear of being discovered. But we were both thinking the same thing:

_"__Republic City...here we come."_

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Kat: Finally! As much as I love the Southern Water Tribe, it was certainly time for them to get a move on. Little bit of a spoiler, but to those of you wanting to know what happened to Matokka might be a little disappointed. Sort of. Maybe. Kinda. Idk. Depends on how you look at it. Sorry. Can't say anymore out of fear of revealing something I shouldn't!

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I'd to have another chapter up soon but realistically that won't happen until school gets out, which won't be until June 4-ish. Sorry for the long wait, but I hope it was and will be worth it in the long run. Thanks for reading!

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I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or Avatar: The Legend of Korra or any of its characters, themes, settings, etc.

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Don't forget CQC's! Thanks! :D


	8. Chapter 8

Kat: Sorry for the long wait! Got out of school for the summer (FINALLY) &amp; after 4 days of (not-so-free) freedom I got around to doing some editing! So just like my wait to get out of school, Korra &amp; Katalana have FINALLY made it out of the Southern Water Tribe! This is a chapter where - if you've seen the show - you should read a lot of familiar lines. Altered a bit, of course, to make room for some new characters. Also, first fight scene! (FINALLY!) Anyway, hope y'all enjoy! :D

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A giant lurch woke us up the next morning. An unsuspecting crew shouted in dismay as a large furry creature leaped out of the gate and off the barge. Once we were out of the South Pole, there was nothing anyone could do to stop us. We felt free enough to be discovered and to go wherever we wanted. The Polar-Bear-Dog raced down the docks before Korra yanked on the reigns. Naga skidded to a halt. The view was absolutely incredible. Enormous stone buildings loomed overhead, the paved roads were inundated with shiny new Sato-mobiles. The people were dressed so cleanly, adorned with dazzling hats, scarves, and jewelry of every color – not just white and a few similar shades of blue. There were not only colors of the Water Tribes, but red and black, green and brown, and yellow and gold. Each nation was represented, some wore combinations of colors to reveal their mixed heritages, and some had even ignored tradition and wore whatever colors they pleased.

The four of us looked on in astonishment. Katara was right – this was _nothing_ like home. We made mental panoramas of our surroundings, trying to absorb everything at once. But there was one thing in particular that we reminded ourselves to look for – Air Temple Island. It was across a large bay to our left. It was relatively small, but impressive nonetheless. The island began at the docs, then rounded up a rocky cliffside to a flat top upon which a towering church had been built. Originally it was a church and only that, but over time it grew to be a mortal home as well as a holy one. Avatar Aang and his family lived there alone before they expanded it to house many of the Air Acolytes – nonbenders who had chosen to leave their own faction to reintroduce the Air Nation to the world.

Korra shifted in the saddle excitedly, about to urge Naga toward the sailboat ferry that would take us across the water to the island. Before she could even begin to nudge her onward, Naga suddenly charged in another direction. We jolted in our seats, but shrugged off our surprise shortly thereafter. Korra and I had seen Naga like this before. She had caught the scent of freshly cooked meat. "Alright, alright! Food first, then Air Temple!" Korra reassured her pet as she charged down the street and around a few corners – narrowly avoiding civilians and nearly trashing local businesses. Startled pedestrians barely had time to acknowledge Korra's shouted apologies before we sped past. "Whoops! Sorry! Excuse us! Heads up! Comin' through! We're new in town!"

Somewhere in the middle of the city the destructive beast scooted to a halt with her large nose poking through the curtains of a petite kiosk. "Naga, wait," commanded Korra. Naga whined as Korra slid off her back and approached the vender in a more decent manner. She picked up a warm shish-ka-bob and politely ordered one of everything.

"That'll be twenty yuans."

Korra's face fell, and she shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Well...I don't actually have any money."

"Then what good are you to me?" the woman demanded, snatching the meat stick out of her hand.

Dejected, Korra turned and led us away. _Of course Korra didn't think to bring any money,_ I thought to myself._ I mean, I guess we don't have much of it anyway, but it would have been nice to have for a situation like this! She doesn't think! I bet she didn't even pack any clothes for this trip._

"I can hear you, you know," Korra drawled.

"And I can hear you!" I sang in return. "Seriously, though. Eavesdropping?" I couldn't see her face from behind, but I could sense that she was giving me a greatly exaggerated eyeroll.

"But for your information, I _did_ pack a few pairs of clothes – for me. Did _you_ pack anything?"

"Of course not! I figured you were trying to run away, but I planned on keeping you home – not tagging along!"

"Well, you can borrow some of my stuff until we get the chance to go shopping."

"With what money?!" I scoffed.

The next half hour or so was spent meandering the city. Korra ignored me pretty much the entire time. We slowed only when we ventured into the town park. Like everything else in town, it was huge. It had yards and yards of lush, green fields where adults chatted, teens played with throwing disks, and where younger kids either flew kites or blew bubbles. There were also pathways lined with benches where numerous couples sat to talk or kiss. Surrounding those pathways were trees whose leaves had long since changed to the warm colors of fall. There were even a few good sized ponds with lovely stone bridges above them. _We'll have to come here sometime after we find Tenzin,_ I thought contentedly.

Finding a nice grassy spot near one of the ponds, Korra and I sat down to think. Khani had jumped out of Naga's saddlebag and was hopping around in circles, chasing a small butterfly. Meanwhile Naga splashed in the pool as she nabbed fish for our late lunch. Korra stuck the fish on a few sticks and used her finger to roast them. She handed one to me and started chowing down.

The smell must have made a stronger impression than we realized, because as we looked around we noticed there was a man huddled in the bushes. "Hey there," he said, grinning. "Mind if I have one of those tasty-smelling fishies?" he asked, flapping his arms like a hopeful chicken-pig.

"Uh, sure!"

Normally if a man in a bush asked for something from us I would have been more cautious, but right away I decided I liked him. His clothes were shabby and his gray hair stuck out in all directions and he had dirt caked on whatever teeth he had left, but his smile was kind and he seemed friendly enough.

Korra held out an extra fish-ka-bob and in turn, the man popped out of the shrubs, plopped down next to us, and gobbled it down in seconds.

It was hard not to stare at him. There was so much about him we didn't know, but I was sure he'd give us answers if we asked the right questions. Korra must have dragged out some of her curiosity first because she asked, pointing, "Uh, do you..._live_ in that bush?"

The man smiled proudly, and dusted a stray pine needle off of a small branch. "Yes, presently this is what I do call home. Took me a while to procure a bush this beauteous. The park is a popular place for all this city's vagabonds."

This only made Korra and I all the more confused and interested. "So there are...more of you out here? I thought everyone in this city was livin' it up."

"You've got a lot to learn, newcomers! Welcome to Republic City." He drew his arm across the landscape as if to lay it all out in front of us. I was about to ask how he knew that we were new when a shrill whistle pierced the air.

"Hey you! You can't fish here!"

Realizing that we were the ones being yelled at, we looked over our shoulders and saw a police officer running toward us waving his club threateningly.

The man beside us dove back into the brush after a friendly, "You two best skedaddle!"

We didn't need to be told twice. Korra grabbed my hand and pulled me up onto Naga and we sped away again. I looked back to see the officer still shouting and the man in the bush smiling and waving goodbye. I grinned. At least there was one person who was glad to have met us.

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On the outskirts of the park we had to slow our pace to make our way through an area thick with people. Wondering what the commotion was about, we tried to move in close – which was no easy task with a eight hundred pound Polar-Bear-Dog and three passengers. Near the front of the crowd was a man atop a wooden table. He was a scrawny fellow with a big megaphone – and an even bigger mouth by the sound of it.

"Are you tired of living under the tyranny of benders?! Then join the Equalists! For too long, nonbenders have been forced to live as lower class citizens! Join Amon, and together, we can tear down the bending establishment!" he bellowed. He pointed to a larger-than-life poster behind him. On it was a hooded figure whose face was concealed by a hard mask. The mask was pretty plain; it was mostly white, with a few cream-colored forms running over the eyes and around the mouth, and it had a large red circle on the forehead. The nose was completely sealed, but a narrow slit had been cut out for the mouth and dark eeire holes for the eyes.

The picture seemed creepy to me, almost sinister. I would have liked to keep moving, but of course Korra had to open _her_ big mouth. "What are you talking about? Bending is the coolest thing in the world!"

The protestor turned his attention to her and gave us a smug look. "Oh, let me guess: _you're_ a bender!"

"Yeah, I am," she replied indignantly, folding her arms across her chest.

"Then I bet you would just _love_ to knock me off this pedestal, wouldn't you?"

"I'm seriously thinking about it."

Turning back to the crowd he roared, "Do you see? Benders like _this girl_ only use their powers to abuse and oppress us!"

"What?! I'm not oppressing anyone! You're- You're oppressing yourselves!" she shot back. Humiliated, she urged Naga onward.

Behind us the man shouted, "That didn't even make sense!"

But it didn't matter. Korra had played right into his hands.

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So after that interesting little scenario, we pushed on. Seeing as we had nowhere else to go, I suggested that we head back to Air Temple Island.

"Sounds good, but...which way is that?"

I shrugged. She made a good point. After glancing around, I realized that neither of us had any clue where we were. Naga had taken us to a whole different part of the city. The buildings here were much shorter and of a less...extravagant quality, and the people mirrored their structures. We stopped at a nearby shop and asked for directions.

"Excuse me," Korra tapped a woman nearby, "I think we're lost. How do we get to Air Temple Island from here?"

"Well, you should just head up this road here and take left, then keep going until-" The sound of screeching tires drowned out the rest of her words. Speeding around the corner was a machine unlike any other we had come across so far. It barreled down the street toward us with seemingly no attempt to stop. It rushed right passed us. Then as suddenly as it had come, it skidded to a halt just a block over. The hot rod jerked in place as it fought off inertia. The locals all hurried inside their shops or ducked behind dumpsters or hid in the alleys. Three men stepped out of the vehicle and looked around like ravenous Tiger-Snakes on the lookout for their next meal.

The lady next to us was trembling, and she waved a finger at us in warning. "You young ladies should get out of here. It isn't safe." Then she copied the actions of her neighbors.

The men sidled on up to the music store as if they owned the whole block. When they drove up, the shopkeeper had been polishing a beautifully crafted phonograph. By the time they approached him he was shaking uncontrollably.

"Mr. Chung," one of them (most likely the leader) said smoothly, "please tell me you have the money you owe us, or I can't guarantee the safety of your fine establishment." The thug to his left threateningly held out his hand, which immediately burst into flames.

The store owner cowered in fear. "P-please, business has been slow. Here, take one of my phonographs." He offered up the machine he had been working on. It really _was_ gorgeous. The speaker was formed into an intricate flower; the sunlight gleamed off of its rosy copper finish.

"My friend here is not a music lover," the leader complained. Then the firebender friend made a swift kick and the phonograph clattered to the ground, the shining copper finish blackening under the intense heat. "Mr. Chung, you'd better give us our money now or we'll-"

"Or you'll _what_, hoodlums?"

The criminals whirled around. I looked beside me. Korra was gone. She was standing in front of the gang audaciously. They stared at her a second – examining her – then burst out in laughter. "Well, well, well. Since you're obviously fresh off the boat, let me explain something to you. You're in _Triple Threat Triad_ territory, and we're about to put _you_ in the hospital."

"_You're_ the only ones who are going to need a hospital. And for your sake, I hope there's one nearby."

The leader of the gang gaped at her. His expression said it all. He exchanged looks with his team as if to say, _"Who is this girl? Does she really think she stands a chance against us? No one stands up to us like this and leaves without something broken!_ "Who do you think you are?"

Korra grinned mischievously and cracked her knuckles, preparing for the oncoming fight. Then she nodded to me covertly, and I ducked out of their sight. The leader reached into his coat. Inside was a concealed water pouch, and quick as a flash he removed the cork and hurled a stream of water at her, intending to knock her off her feet. Instead, Korra redirected the flow. It shot back at him and froze over his head. He stumbled, then Korra did a swipe-kick to the waterbender like his firebending friend did to the phonograph. His head made contact with the grill of the hot rod, shattering the ice into a million microscopic pieces. He wasn't dead, but he didn't get up.

The townspeople stared in amazement. The other two thugs glanced at each other. Now that their leader was down, they lost some confidence in themselves. The firebender remembered himself first. He punched the air in front of him and a huge plume of fire surged forward. Korra merely shoved it aside and grappled with him one on one. It was obvious that she was the stronger of the two, for she spun around and hurled him through the front window of an antique shop.

The woman who helped us with directions and one of her employees ogled at this mysterious girl. "Did that _waterbender_ just _firebend_?"

"Could she be...?"

The third man, an earthbender, seemed less sure of himself. He clapped his hands together, causing the earth beneath them to rumble and crack. He stepped to make another move, but Korra and I were quicker. Korra jumped to avoid the quake, then stomped the ground as if she were going to earthbend. At the same time, I was positioned in an alleyway, out of sight behind a tower of stacked crates, ready to act at the exact time she did. Immediately after we moved, a wedge of the cobblestone road shot up, launching the earthbender twenty feet in the air. He hit a hanging sign, ricocheted off of an awning, and crash landed in a fruit stand.

Satisfied with herself, Korra stood over him with her hands on her hips. "Got an idea about who I am now, _chumps_?"

The earthbender just groaned, but everyone turned when they heard tires screeching behind them. The other two crooks swiveled and swerved up the road. The earthbender got up and stumbled after them. "You're not getting away!" Korra yelled as she dashed forward and thrust her fists upward. I wanted to catch the gang as much as she did, but I wasn't sure if that was the way to do it. It was way too destructive – but then again, was there anything that Korra was better at? But on the other hand, I couldn't expose Korra's inability to earthbend, so I mimicked her, timing and all, causing the road to shift and churn. Another block rose up, flipping the car. It barrel-rolled a few times before smashing through two more stores.

Suddenly alarms sounded from above and a dark shadow moved in. A giant black airship loomed overhead. Dozens of men in matching uniforms zipped down lines extending from their armored sleeves. "Whoa, metalbenders!" I breathed. I had never met another metalbender in my life. Metal is a stubborn element, one that takes _years_ to master. At least, it did for me. The men before us must have had some real talent.

The benders flipped and landed on the ground impeccably. To the Triple Threats an officer bellowed, "You're under arrest!" He pointed to the gang members and a few of the other cops rounded them up and cuffed them together.

Korra stood proudly and held out her hand to display her catch. "Here you go, officers, I caught the bad guys for you!"

"You're under arrest too!" he said, glaring. Before she could utter a word, coils unwound from the officer's sleeve to wrap around her wrists. She caught them in mid air.

"What? Why? Those are the bad guys over there! They were trashing that man's shop!" She said, pointing to the music shop in desperation. The owner had long since hidden away inside.

"From the looks of things, _you_ did a lot more damage than _they_ did."

So that was when it hit her. She looked around the square. She looked at all of the broken signs, the smashed windows, and the devastated civilians. She turned back to the officer. "Okay, I know this looks bad, but you can't arrest me. I can explain!"

"You can explain all you want – down at headquarters." More coils shot out of the sleeve of his free hand, in the hopes of entangling her again, but she snagged those as well. She paused to look a me, her eyes wide-eyed and horrified, before she took off. She whistled, and on cue Naga sensed the danger and bolted, slowing only to let Korra swing herself on. They raced away, turned a corner, and were gone. The other policemen disappeared after them.

My head was spinning with all that just happened, but I forced myself to push all confusion aside. I had to go after Korra without being seen. I copied Naga and bolted through the back alleyways and up onto the rooftops, trying to steer clear of traffic, yet keeping up with the hunt. Naga rushed through the city, between hordes of people and across the park. They had just made it to a bridge when one metalbender's cords wrapped around Korra's ponytail. He yanked her toward him. I screamed, feeling the pull on my scalp as well. Korra, on the other hand, only gritted her teeth. Then she released the reigns and threw her arms up, pushing the river water upward. The liquid wall froze and the man holding her hair slammed into it. I felt the cable slacken, but the chase was not over yet. They continued on, the police right on their heels. Once outside the park, she steered Naga into the middle of the flow of Sato-mobiles, up and across an elevated freeway. Then Korra sparked an idea. A train thundered below them. Urged on by Korra, Naga sped up until she matched the speed of the locomotive, then the Polar-Bear-Dog vaulted from the road. I gasped as I watched what happened in the seconds following. A dozen more cables ejected from an air ship overhead and ensnared all of them – including Khani, who was whimpering in the saddlebag, wishing she was home.

_What now? _I thought, just to myself. Then an idea hit me. I stopped running and sat down, letting myself slide toward the edge of the roof, using my feet as resistance on the way down. Once on the edge, I turned myself around and slid off so I could hang from the rain gutter. Then I took a deep breath and let go. It was a surprisingly short drop, but my feet slammed hard against the pavement.

A moment later and I was out of the alleyway and in the streets again. There were plenty of people. None were all too extravagant, yet none were very shabby either. The same went for the short brick buildings. But appearances hardly mattered to me in that moment. The only thing on my mind was finding help for Korra. I brushed myself off and joined the mass of people, asking for directions once again. "Excuse me, does anyone know how to get to Air Temple Island from here?" Most people gave me weird looks or ignored me completely. "Please, does anyone know how to get to Air Temple Island?" I kept walking, searching desperately for any hint of assistance. "Please, _someone_, I'm trying to help my sister!"

Someone tapped my shoulder. "Excuse me, Miss?"

I didn't notice. I kept on walking. I was about to get hysterical. _Why won't these people help me?! What is their problem? I'm trying to help my family! Can't they take one second to-_

"Miss?"

_What if I can't find anyone? What if I'm stuck wandering this city for ages? What if Korra's stuck in prison while I'm tangled up in this madhouse of a city? Korra can handle herself, but prison is no place for her! Not for the Avatar! What if-_

"Miss!"

The man had to whirl me around himself in order to get my attention. He grabbed me by the shoulder and spun me in place, then firmly held onto my wrists to keep me from hurting either of us intentionally or otherwise.

"Miss?" the person asked again, gentler that time. "Are you alright?"

_Oh my Lord, I really _am_ hysterical,_ I thought. _I was so concentrated on finding someone to help me that I completely missed someone trying to do just that!_

After taking a moment to clear my head and my vision, I focused on the person in front of me. Seeing that I had calmed down at least a little, he moved his hands back up to my shoulders to keep me steady. The man was about my age, perhaps a year or two older. He wore a faded green shirt, tan pants, and an apron that was covered in a fine, ruddy dust. He was taller than me by several inches and very well built – his broad chest, wide shoulders, and muscular arms made it easy for him to stop me. His jaw was hard, square and defined; eyebrows thick and high-set; dark chestnut hair cut short, and it stuck up all awkward-like, as if he never once combed it that day. His smile was sweet, with just a shadow of mischief. And his thin, deep-set eyes glowed in the most brilliant ultramarine blue.

My heart skipped a beat. Two beats. Three. I stared, no, gaped at the man for a long time. I was much too shocked to even pull myself away out of politeness. Same age, well built, defined features, deep blue eyes, and that mischievous smile. My mind went numb, my mouth dry. _There's no way it could be... But there's no way it _couldn't _be... No! It's not! He's dead!_ My mouth still hung open, but no sound came out. I couldn't scream. I tried to step back, but he held me in place. _I _am _hysterical. I'm completely mad!_ "M-" My voice came through weak and high-pitched. "Matokka?!"

The boy knitted his eyebrows together in confusion, but kept that all-too-familiar smile. "I'm sorry?"

_He even has the same voice... Does that mean...? No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Okay, okay, okay. Stop. Just stop. Seriously, Katalana! Snap out of it!_ I shook my head to clear it, and blinked several times to make sure I wasn't seeing things. _Nope, still looks like him._ "Uh-er, s-sorry. You just...r-reminded me of someone."

He shrugged, in a knowing, apologetic kind of way. "Yeah, I get that a lot. I guess I just have one of those faces."

"I-I suppose..."

Suddenly he slapped his palm to his forehead. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Jaalam," he introduced himself, bowing dramatically. He held out a hand and took mine, then kissed it as he dipped down. Still bent over, he looked up at me hopefully. "And you are...?"

"Katalana." I answered, blushing uncomfortably.

After righting himself, he continued. "I hear you're looking for Air Temple Island, correct?"

"...Yes."

"Well you're in luck, because you have just met the finest tour guide in Republic City."

"Great," I said, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. "But maybe that can wait for a better opportunity. Can you please just tell me how to get there? This is kind of urgent."

"Sure thing. Give me a moment to talk to my boss and we'll be on our way." Before I could stop him, he turned on his heel and jogged into a small shop nearby. He returned less than a minute later without his apron. "Sorry about that. I had to ask for the time off. I'll make up my shift later."

"Oh, well thank you, but you really didn't have to do that. You could have just given me directions."

"Nonsense. A newcomer like yourself needs a proper escort."

"Well...alright. If you insist. Lead the way."

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And so he did. We wove in and out of the crowds, around a few corners, back through the park, and again we reached the docks. Then we boarded a ferry to cross the bay to the island. The ship rocked gently in the calm waters. I leaned on the side railing and sighed. The view was incredible, but I couldn't enjoy it's splendor while worrying about Korra. After talking with the captain for a second, Jaalam joined me. We stood there in an awkward silence before he said anything. "So, what's your story?"

"My...story?"

"Yeah, you know. Tell me about yourself."

"Well..." I hesitated. _I don't know this guy...or do I? He looks _exactly_ like Matokka. _Exactly_. And Matokka's not a twin, and he probably...died in that blizzard... And if this guy _is_ him, he would already know everything about me, so there would be no need for him to ask questions... There's no way this could be him... Right?_

Jaalam rested a hand on his cheek and tapped it with his index finger. "Alright, let's start with this. So your name is Katalana; I know that much. Where are you from?"

I nodded in response to his first statement, then glanced down at my clothing for the second. A plain blue shirt, baggy blue pants, an animal pelt jacket tied around my waist, and furry boots. It was obvious enough, even so, I gave him the simple answer. "The Southern Water Tribe."

"Okay. How many people are in your family?"

"Six, including myself."

"Wow, big family. Names? Relation?"

"Parents, Senna and Tonraq. Sister, Korra. Two pets, Naga and Khani."

"Type of pets?"

"Polar-Bear-Dog and Pygmy Wolf-Fox."

"Impressive. Are those common pets in the South?"

"I never knew what kinds of pets others had because I only ever had one friend."

"One?"

"Besides my sister, just one."

"Really?"

"There aren't that many people living in the South Pole, okay?" I snapped.

He stepped back, surprised at my sudden change of tone. I clapped a hand over my mouth, shocked and embarrassed at how quickly his questions angered me. Slowly I lowered my hand and rested it over my heart. "I-I am so sorry."

"It's...fine. I shouldn't have pushed you."

"No, it's just that..."

He stepped closer and rested his hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to tell me. It's your business, not mine."

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

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"We're here," he said awkwardly. "Let's go." He reached for my hand to lead me off the boat like a gentleman, but I pulled it away.

"Uh, let's just go find Tenzin."

We walked off the ship, around the curves of the mountainous island, and up the church steps. The tall wooden doors loomed over us. Cautiously – yet forcefully – I knocked. We waited. No one came. I knocked again. This time, someone answered. It was a very young woman – only in her early twenties if I had to guess – with pale skin and long black hair. She was dressed in flowing robe of red and gold. An Air Acolyte. "Excuse me," I said sweetly. "We're looking for Master Tenzin. Is he home?"

The woman, as kind as she appeared, clung to the door, her eyes darting back and forth uncertainly. "Uh-um, w-well, you see...he's..." She peered over her shoulder for a second. "H-he's busy at the moment."

"Busy? He's not with the Council, I hope?"

Her eyebrow lifted like she was surprised that we knew he was a part of the council, then went back to her skittish murmerings. "Well, er, no...not exactly."

I exchanged a look with Jaalam before turning my attention back to the girl. "So could we speak with him? This is urgent."

The woman didn't answer, but glanced over her shoulder again.

"Please, could you help us? I am Katalana, Korra's sister."

This time her eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh! Well, uh-" she looked behind her once more, but this time she seemed at least slightly more confident. "I-In that case... I...suppose he wouldn't mind. Follow me." She led us down several long, open-aired corridors. At the end of one hall, she held up a hand for us to stop, then opened the door and motioned for us to enter alone. We did, and the door shut softly behind us. We were in a large room that opened out into a well-kept garden. The walls were bare, but the room laid rest to about ten short tables for the days' meals. There were a few Air Acolytes sitting about, but most of the tables were vacant. By the window sat someone who stood out from the rest. He was tall, even sitting down, with a pointed beard and facial features, and familiar blue arrow tattoos that ran across his head and the tops of his hands. He leaned over a table innundated with papers – papers collected from his job as a councilman no doubt. Normally I would have been ecstatic to see him, but right then he had a stoney expression that rested solely on me.

I ignored his intimidating stare and rushed over to his table, leaning over it so that he could hear me without disturbing the acolytes. Jaalam followed, but stood at an awkward distance, unsure of how he fit into the situation. "Tenzin!"

The master airbender continued to set his gaze on me, not entirely infuriated (yet), but not exactly pleased either. Actually, his face was almost unreadable. I felt his heart through the floor, and it was beating slightly quicker than normal. So I knew he was at least a tad concerned. "Katalana. What are you doing here? I told you and Korra to remain in the South Pole."

"I know, but-"

"You disobeyed a direct order!" His tone was stern, but not angry, and it softened ever so slightly. "That's not something I would expect you to do, which leads me to believe that something is wrong."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But something _is_ wrong. You have to listen to me. Korra and I got into town this morning. We got a little turned around and...well, long story short: Korra got herself arrested."

"What! Arrested? How?"

"I'll explain the details later, but you will help us, won't you?"

"Of course I will." He paused, glancing strangely at Jaalam. As far as I knew, Tenzin had never met Matokka, but again, that was as far as I knew.

"He helped me find you," I explained quickly.

"Ah." He stood up and approached him, then nodded respectfully. "I thank you for helping her find me. I would like to know if there is some way I can repay you."

Jaalam was taken aback by his response. Unsure of what else to do, he nodded back. And although he was speaking to Tenzin, the whole time, his focus was directed past him – at me. "No thanks or repayments are in order, sir. I was simply helping someone who was willing enough to ask for it."

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"This way," a metalbending guard instructed, leading me and Tenzin up four flights of stairs. For reasons unknown to us, Jaalam was told to wait outside. Something about relatives and/or guardians only. The officer led us to the end of a long metal hallway. "Wait here."

On the other side of the wall I could hear Korra's stubborn voice. "-fine, then I want to talk to whoever is in charge."

"You're talking to her. I am Chief Bei Fong," said a second voice flatly. It was a woman's voice. She sounded about Tenzin's age, maybe older.

I felt Korra's pulse quicken as she and I both recognized the name. She said almost giddily, "Wait, _Bei Fong_? As in, _Lin_ Bei Fong? You're Toph's daughter!"

The chief did not seem to care about Korra's enthusiasm or her own lineage. "What of it?"

"Why are you treating me like a criminal? Avatar Aang and your mother were friends!"

"That's ancient history. And it's got diddly-squat to do with the mess you're in right now."

The lawman before us decided that this was the time to interrupt, because he slid open a small, rectangular hole in the wall and announced, "Chief, Councilman Tenzin is here to see you."

Bei Fong sighed, then grumbled reluctantly, "Send him in."

Then a door appeared out of no where, opening with a metallic clang before Tenzin stepped into the room. I followed and moved into the corner, out of everyone's way. Bei Fong was standing in front of a small table in the center of the room. She was average height, her toned build plated in dark armor with gold trim. Her face was set in an eternal frown, her dark eyebrows knit together in a scowl. Her dull green eyes dared anyone to challenge her authority. She bore two claw-like scars across her right cheek, the remnants of a long ago battle. I'd never met a Bei Fong until that moment, but I could see the resemblance between her and the statue of her mother stationed outside the building that we passed on our way inside.

Korra was sitting in a cold iron chair with her arms out in front of her, her wrists cuffed to the table. The teenager gave Tenzin a sheepish grin and waved as much as she could manage. "He-e-ey, Tenzin."

Tenzin ignored her and spoke directly to Bei Fong. "Lin, you are looking radiant as usual."

"Cut the garb, Tenzin. What is the Avatar doing here? You said you wouldn't be training her yet."

"Yes, our training sessions have been delayed. Now if you would be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events and cover all the damages. Meanwhile, the Avatar will be returning to the South Pole where she will stay put," he explained, emphasising his last two words.

"Fine," she grumbled. Korra's cuffs clicked open with the wave of Bei Fong's hand. "Just get her out of my city." As Korra got up to leave, Bei Fong pointed her fingers at her in a way that said "I'll be watching you." Korra simply mocked her by mimicking her; Bei Fong just threw up her hands in frustration.

"_Real mature, Korra."_

"_Serves her right. Of all the nerve! _Arresting _the_ Avatar_? That's ridiculous!"_

"_You _did _cause a lot of damage," _I pointed out.

"_Ah, correction: _you _caused a lot of damage."_

"_Would you _rather _have been exposed as a non-earthbender?"_

"_Whatever."_

"_I still haven't received my 'thank you' for bailing you out."_

She rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. _"Oh, right, _thanks_. Lot of good that does us now. We're getting sent back home!"_

"_We might have been able to stay, but that chance flew out the window when you got yourself involved in someone else' business!"_

_"__So you _wanted_ that shop owner to be taken advantage of? He was bad enough off as it was without those Triple Threat Chumps giving him trouble. Besides, I'm the Avatar! It's my duty to help people. That's not something I can ignore."_

_"__Oh save your lecture. I'm your sister. I've heard it a billion times before."_ I waved my hand as if that could somehow brush away the words coming out of her mouth. _"But I _do _understand. Even if I'm not the Avatar, I have the urge to help people too, you know. We'll talk to Tenzin later, alright? Maybe we can convince him to let us stay."_

"_Go for it. I'm just warning you now though. He won't let up."_

"_Come on,"_ I thought as we exited the building. The way Korra and I were gesturing to each other made Tenzin and Jaalam stare at us as if we had gone off the deep end. We smiled sheepishly, giving an embarrassed wave. "It's a twin thing."

Tenzin regained his stoney expression, but Jaalam continued to gawk. "Twins!"

"Oh, right. Did I forget to mention that my sister is also my fraternal twin?" My cheeks grew red as I realized that this was a major hole in "my story" as he called it. He continued to stare, first at me, then at Korra, then at me again.

Korra studied him too. "You know, you look _very_ familiar." Then she scrutinized me for the second that I allowed her to.

I shot her an icy glare. "_Shut up! It's not him, okay?"_ Korra glanced at me, confused and insulted. _"__Sorry. Here,"_ I said, trying to make up for being so cold. "Korra, this is Jaalam. Jaalam, Korra."

"Nice to meet you," Jaalam said politely, finally recovering from his state of shock. He hadn't even noticed my scowl. Or if he had, he never let on.

"Likewise." She peered at me again, pointing at me first, then him and back again. "So how did you two-"

"Meet? Well after your little _incident_, I went looking for help. He helped me find Tenzin to help you."

"Well thank you," she said, nodding to him respectfully. He copied.

Then Tenzin cut into our introductions in his stern-yet-gentle way. "Jaalam, it was nice to meet you and thank you again for your assistance. Perhaps we shall meet again. Now Korra, Katalana, we should go."

Korra tensed, realizing that Tenzin was only remaining calm because he was in public, but she reluctantly followed. I turned to do the same, but a hand reached out and grabbed mine. I whirled around to see Jaalam gazing at me hopefully. "Wait!" he said said softly, but urgently. "Will I ever see you again?"

"I-" I peeked back at Korra - who was motioning for me to hurry up - then looked back at Jaalam. His eyes, those familiar, deep, ocean blue eyes. They pleaded for me to say yes. And I did want to. I wanted to find out who he really was. _How can this _not_ be Matokka? He _looks _exactly the same. He _acts_ exactly the same. He practically _is_ the same. But...is he?_

It took me a moment to realize that I still hadn't answered him – and Korra and Tenzin were still walking away. I couldn't let myself loose them in the crowd. I looked at Jaalam again. "Please," he said. "I want to see you again."

_Ugh, I can't bear it. I have to give him something._ "I-I don't know. Tenzin may send us home... Um...come by the island tomorrow. He will have decided by then - probably. I'm sorry, I-I have to go." Before I could even finish my statement, I drew my hand away and started backing up. "I'm sorry."

Jaalam stood there, dejected, as a sudden rush of people separated us. I believed he was still standing there as I spun on my toes to catch up with Korra.

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Back at the island, Tenzin turned on us, enraged, but Korra spoke while he was taking a breath to begin his rant. "Tenzin, please don't send us home," she begged.

Tenzin let go of his breath, but not his anger. "You blatantly disobeyed my wishes and the orders of the White Lotus. What- how could you-" he sighed to fill a pause while he collected his thoughts. "Discipline is one of the key elements of Airbending, and that is something you must learn before I can even begin to teach you."

"But-" Korra continued, "Katara agreed with us. She agreed that it was time for us to come here, to learn from you, to discover my place as the Avatar."

His temper flared and his face darkened to a fierce shade of scarlet. "Don't bring my mother into this!"

Korra was unfazed by his sudden intensity and continued to reason with him. "Look, I can't wait any longer to finish my training. Being cooped up and hidden away from the world isn't helping me become a better Avatar."

"We saw a lot of the city today," I added, "and I think Korra would agree that it is totally out of whack. We understand now why you didn't want us to come yet, but it is obvious that Republic City needs us."

The master airbender stroked his beard in thought. He opened his mouth to find another way to refuse to let us stay, but he had none. Even so, his position hadn't changed. We were going home, and there was nothing we could do about it.

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Shortly thereafter we stood on the docks of the Air Temple, saying our final goodbyes before boarding a ship home. Tenzin's face was shadowed in the low light of dusk, masking his expression. The late evening sky was gorgeous tints of pink and peach, with fluffy purple clouds sailing across it. Looking up at it was calming until we noticed that in the distance there were three winged objects, almost like butterflies, soaring toward us. As they drew near, they appeared less like butterflies and more like three familiar faces. Their wings were light, paper-like fans powered by airbending, used to glide gracefully to the ground. "Katalana! Korra!" They sang in unison as they ran up to hug us.

"Are you coming to live with us on the island?" one asked.

"No, Ikki, we have to go home now."

"Aw..."

The three kids reluctantly released their grips and allowed Korra to turn and lead Naga toward the boat. I stepped forward to follow, but Tenzin laid a hand on my shoulder to stop us. "Wait," he said, drawing out a long, reluctant breath. "You girls were right about what you said earlier. The city has fallen out of balance. I thought it was up to me to uphold Aang's legacy, but you _are_ his legacy. I will allow you to stay and train with me here in Republic City."

All of us listening immediately started smiling or cheering or jumping up and down happily. I could feel both my own excitement and Korra's, and it was enough to make me burst. Or rather, all that excitement was almost squeezed out of me after Korra lifted all five of us in a giant Platypus-Bear hug. "Yes! Thank you! You're the best!"

"Now Korra," Tenzin said after she let go, "the press will try to make a meal of your arrest earlier today, so I think it'd be best to have you introduce yourself in a proper manner."

"How do we plan on doing that?"

"I have arranged for you to meet with them on the steps of City Hall shortly."

"Really? Tonight?"

"I thought it was too important to wait until morning."

"And what am I supposed to say? I-I don't have a speech or anything prepared!"

Tenzin laid a hand on Korra's shoulder in support. "You'll know what to say when the time comes."

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Kat: Yay! The end of their first day in Republic City! You guys should know what's coming up next for Korra, but Katalana is obviously &amp; definitely going to have some more trouble. Another character has been introduced &amp; he will play a HUUUUGE role throughout the entire story, so make sure you pay attention to his descriptions &amp; moves. Hope y'all enjoyed! Can't promise another chapter for a while, but I'll do my best. I start summer school a week from today (to get ahead, not because I failed!) so that may cut into my time, but I just love writing so much that I will MAKE the time! Thanks for reading &amp; I'd love to hear your CQC's!

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BTW: I do not own ATLA, TLOK, any of its scenes, characters, themes, etc. I will claim ownership of Jaalam though! ;)


	9. Chapter 9

Kat: Hey everyone! SORRY for the long wait! Got out of school for the summer for like 4 days, then summer school, then vacation, then resting from vacation. Ack, it's been crazy. But here I am! Finally! There will be some parts in this chapter you may recognize, but a lot of it's new. Enjoy! :D

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"Hello, I'm Korra," Korra started. "Your new Avatar." She waited for the cheering of the crowd to calm down before she continued. She was standing proudly on the steps in front of City Hall to announce her arrival. Her voice rang clear and true, but I could sense her nervousness from my place beside Tenzin and Chief Bei Fong. "I, with the help of my friends and my sister, am prepared to help this city in any way I can."

The people began shouting again. As the calamity of the audience ebbed, reporters began bombarding her with questions.

"Does this mean you've moved to Republic City?"

"Were you trying to send a message to the Triads yesterday?"

"Will you be fighting crime or the anti-bending revolution or both?"

"Are you going to run to be a member of the City Council?"

"How will you cooperate with Chief Bei Fong and the police?"

I could feel Korra shaking – both by the waves I picked up by earthbending and by our twin connection (or, "twin-nection" as we liked to call it). Their overwhelming number of queries had begun to take their toll on her, even so, she took a deep breath and answered as best she could. "Yes, I am definitely here to stay, but I don't exactly have a plan...yet. See, I'm still in training-" Sighing, she tried to sound like she knew what she was doing. "Look, I believe that Avatar Aang wanted Republic City to be the center of peace and balance in the world, and I believe that, God-willing, we can make that dream a reality."

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"-_I look forward to serving you. I'm so happy to be here. Thank you Republic City_!" Korra's voice scratched through an old radio. A dark, gloved hand reached out to shut it off. The owner of the hand – an obscure, hooded figure – stood over the machine menacingly. Behind him were the footsteps of two men. One was tall and muscular; his whole body clothed in a thick elastic-like suit. Half of his face was covered by a mask; his eyes hidden behind eerie goggles that glowed in an ominous shade of green. He carried two deadly Kali sticks in his belt. The other was shorter, younger. He was more slender, but still powerfully built and just as dangerous. Also cloaked from head to toe, his mask hid his entire face, rounding easily over his defined jaw. The creepy green glow of his goggles drowned out the deep sapphire blue of his eyes.

"Amon, how do you want to handle this?" the taller man asked.

"So," the hooded figure mused. He was still facing the radio, preparing to speak again, but his voice was not like any that had ever been heard. It was dark and low and...sinister, but it was also soft and flowed smoothly and slowly – almost like honey – not the typical voice from someone so nefarious. It was so calm, and unlike the taller man, it was completely unbothered by the news that the broadcast had brought to light. In fact, he almost sounded...pleased. "So, the Avatar has arrived early. We will have to accelerate our plans."

"What do you want us to do?" asked the younger accomplice.

"You, my dear boy," the hooded figure chuckled, turning to look at him over his shoulder, "...are a vital part of my scheme."

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Following supper, it was decided by Ikki that she and Jinora would spend the rest of the evening giving Korra and I a tour of the entire island. Of course they saved our room for last. "Heeere you go!" Ikki squealed, blowing the door open with a swoosh of air from her hands.

"Thank you," Korra and I said together.

The girl's eyes sparkled with interest. "Cool! Do you two do that a lot?"

Korra and I looked at each other, smiled, and shrugged. "Sometimes."

The nine year old giggled with delight. Jinora rolled her eyes and shoved her sister aside. "Don't mind her. We'll let you two get settled in. If you need anything we'll be in the gardens."

"Okay, thanks again!" we called.

With a secretive grin on her face, Jinora slid the door shut and walked away.

"I love doing that," Korra and I said, still in tandem. "Me too."

Our laughter continued a for a moment after they left. Afterward, we decided to have a look around the room. It wasn't much different from our room back at the compound – at least in organization. There was one bed on either side of the room, a wardrobe to the left of the door, a vanity at the foot of the bed on the opposite side, and a small half-bathroom beside that. The difference between the church and the compound was simply the atmosphere of the room. The island as a whole definitely felt...freer. It was more open and airy. The walls were white plaster, the floors a light wood, the walls and doors were paper thin, and the window between the beds was octagonal with open wooden shutters. During the day the room would be flooded with the plenty of sunshine, but even at night it was warm and cheery. Nothing like that thick, cold, depressing metal cell at home – not that I was complaining.

After deciding she'd looked around enough, Korra collapsed lazily on the bed on the left side of the room – the same one she'd had at home. I took a seat at the stool by the vanity. "Can you believe we actually get to stay?"

"Hardly. Tenzin was so angry earlier, and now he's as cool as ice!"

"I know! I guess that comes from his unceasing prayer sessions."

"Probably," she agreed absentmindedly. For a moment, there was silence. Then a meniacle grin slid across her face.

_Uh oh,_ I thought to myself. _This isn't a good sign. She's about to bring up a topic she knows I would rather not talk about. And if it's what I think it is, then it's-_

"Sooo...Katalana," she drawled, interrupting my thoughts – which I knew she was invading, and ignoring. "Did you find it even a little strange that what's-his-name looks so much like Matokka?"

I sighed. _Yup, that's just where she went with it._ "His _name_ is Jaalam, and to answer your question, yes, I noticed a resemblance."

"So...? What are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you find it odd that Matokka goes missing, then out of no where, a guy that looks _exactly_ like him shows up in the exact place you told him you were going?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because," I said, leaning back against the dresser, "there are hundreds – possibly thousands – of people in this city, and I probably never even would have been in the part of town in which I met him if I wasn't chasing after you. What would the chances of us meeting really be like if you hadn't gotten yourself into trouble? I mean, really? What if Naga _hadn't_ gotten side-tracked when we first arrived this morning? What if we came straight here? I never would have been even _near_ him. Why travel all this way and live in some random part of town that I might never visit? And another thing-" I continued, growing angry, "Why would he just pack up and leave without a word to anyone? Why would Matokka even want or choose to leave the South Pole? He still had a mother to take care of! And if he wanted to come here to be with me, then all he had to do was say so! We could've gone through with your idea of getting married quickly, making it possible for him to come with us!"

"I'm just saying-"

"No!" I exclaimed, probably louder than necessary. There was a brief pause between us. "It just doesn't make any sense. Looking back on it now, there were plenty of things we could have done differently." Lost in thought, I sat and gazed out the window for a minute. Then, taking a deep breath to relax, I faced my sister again. "I'm sorry, Korra. I didn't mean to get all worked up like that. What _I'm_ trying to say is that Matokka wouldn't have left without telling me, and he sure wouldn't have changed names. Plus, when I ran into Jaalam, I actually called him by Matokka's name, thinking it was him. Embarrassingly enough, he had no idea who I was talking about – much less who _I_ was. And, on the way here to get Tenzin, he was asking me all sorts of questions about my past. If Jaalam _was_ Matokka, he wouldn't have needed to ask any questions whatsoever. He would have known everything about me already."

"So? He could have a bad case of amnesia or something. He could have forgotten practically everything he'd ever known." As she talked she lazily hung her head off the side of the bed to look at me up-side-down. "Or maybe he's just pretending not to know you, like maybe he's pulling one of his infamous pranks on you."

"Korra, this isn't a joke!" I reprimanded her. "I loved and lost Matokka and you're treating this like last year never even happened."

"I know, I know. You're right. I'm sorry. But what else could this be? I'm sure you've thought of it yourself: he's not a twin, so how could this possibly be _anyone_ _else_ but him? There _has_ to be an explination for him not to know you. The things I just listed off I actually had meant as a joke, but what if one of them really _was_ true?"

"You're crazy! Amnesia would explain his memory loss, but that doesn't explain how he ended up in Republic City. And your second theory doesn't even make sense. Why would he pretend not to know me?"  
Korra flipped her hands off of her stomach like she'd given up. "I don't know. But, come on, just think about it! There are too many coincidences here to _just_ be a coincidence."

"What coincidences? How so?"

"You've forgotten already?" she asked, flipping over onto her stomach. Holding up her hand, she listed off the signs on her fingers. "One, Matokka and Mystery Man-"

"-Jaalam."

"Matokka and _Jaalam_ look exactly alike. Two, Matokka goes missing just after you told him you were leaving for Republic City and _Jaalam_ shows up in Republic City – the same place that you told Matokka you were going. And three," she smiled deviously, "both Matokka and Jaalam seem rather taken by you."

My stomach seized up when she mentioned her last _coincidence_. To hide it – however unsuccessful that would have been – I sighed, then turned to look in the mirror to take down my hair for the night. "I still think you're crazy." Her reflection smiled mischievously like before. "We'd better get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day."

"Okay," she replied casually, tucking her legs under the sheets.

The next day would indeed be a long day.

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"And the Buzzard-Wasps won with a decisive knock-out!" Korra read off of the newspaper the next morning. She had been reading the sports section. Tenzin and I sat across the table from her. I was only half-listening as I stared out the small window behind her. "What do you say, Tenzin? Want to catch a few Pro-Bending matches?"

Tenzin nearly choked on his tea. After catching his breath, he set his cup down firmly. "I seriously hope you're joking."

"No, why?"

"That _sport_ is a mockery of the noble tradition of bending."

One dramatic eyeroll later she protested, "Come on, Tenzin! I've dreamed about seeing a Pro-Bending match since I was a kid – and now I'm just a ferry ride away from the arena!" She hooked a thumb over her shoulder at the Pro-Bending Arena – which was indeed in plain view out the window behind her.

"Korra, you are not here to watch that _drivel_; you are here to continue your Avatar training. So for the time being, I would like you to remain on the island."

"Is that why you're keeping the White Lotus sentries around? To watch my every move?" she pouted. Not unlike conditions at the compound, dozens of Air Acolytes as well as members of the White Lotus were roaming the halls of the church. But there was a significant difference between home and the island. The sentries in the church actually did their job.

Tenzin started to say something, but an attendant opened the door. I recognized her as the woman who answered the door for us the day before. "G-good morning, Master Tenzin," she said, bowing politely. "I am here t-to collect Miss Katalana."

Upon hearing my name, I glanced up at her, confused.

She must have noticed my involuntary action and tried to clarify. Her eyes couldn't meet mine. "Uh, y-you have a visitor."

For a moment I was still confused. _What? A visitor? Who in the world...?_

Then I remembered. I excused myself from the table and followed the acolyte to the front door. She waved her arm for me to step outside. I hardly had time to get through before she shut it quickly behind me. She left before I even had the chance to thank her.

"Katalana!"

Hearing my name again drew my attention away from the door to focus on the owner of the voice – my not-so-mysterious visitor. "Hi...Jaalam," I said hesitantly, descending the steps to meet him.

His eyes continued to shine that breathtaking ocean blue, and he smiled that all-too-familiar smile. He rocked on his toes casually, unmistakeably giddy. "So...I guess you're staying?"

"I guess so," I confirmed.

He let out an amused snort. "I'm glad. I was afraid you wouldn't be here."

I could feel my cheeks burning. _Quit that! Don't embarrass yourself. It's not him._ To distract my wandering thoughts, I kept the conversation going. "I almost wouldn't be. Tenzin changed his mind at the last second."

"Guess things are looking up for the both of us, then."

"I suppose."

"So, uh, I hope you don't mind my asking, because I really don't mean to pry. I just want to know more about you. But...since we're speaking of things looking up _now_...why were things so mixed up_ yesterday_?"

Stiffening, I grasped around for some kind of an answer. "Uh...it's kind of a long story."

"I've got time. You?"

"Well, actually, I have something that's- Korra's about to-" Frustrated, I blew a few loose hairs out of my face. _Shoot._

Jaalam just chuckled. "No excuse, huh? That's okay. I can take a hint. Well then, are there any questions you want to ask me?"

_Me ask the questions? But I have so many! _"I...wouldn't even know where to begin."

"Oh." He paused. "Well..."

_Huh, never thought a quail-cat would catch _his_ tongue!_

Both of us were quiet for a minute. In what I first interpreted as an action to fill the gap of silence, he ran his fingers through his short hair awkwardly. That action alone betrayed his attempt to hide his sudden shyness. "So...um, Katalana...there actually _is_ one question in particular that I've been wanting to ask you..."

_Uh oh. Please don't go where I think you're going...!_ I had to resist the urge to cringe as he worked up his nerve. "Yes...?"

"Well, uh, I know we just met, well, yesterday," he gave a nervous laugh, "but ever since we met, I've wanted to ask...well...would you like to join me for dinner sometime?"

My stomach jumped up into my throat. _I knew it. That was where I thought he was going to go with that! Oh man! What am I going to do? Sure, he's a nice guy and all, but is he just some friendly stranger? Or is he really Matokka? _He_ wouldn't necessarily need to ask me out, on the account that we were engaged, but-_

"Katalana?"

I jumped when I realized that he was still waiting for an answer. _Man, why do I keep doing that?_ He gazed at me hopefully. That was the same look he gave me the day before, and it was still working for him. It was so easy to get lost in his eyes – unless I was trying to find a way to turn him down. I realized that until I figured out who Jaalam really was, I couldn't go out with him for fear of endangering my relationship with Matokka. "Jaalam...I-I'm really sorry, but..."

His face fell. "Oh."

"No! I promise it's not you," I explained quickly. _Well, that wasn't a _total_ lie._

"Then what is it?" he asked.

His question wasn't rude or nosy, but sincere, like he knew that there was more to my answer than I was letting on. I could only bite my lip and give him a helpless look. I wasn't ready to tell him anything yet; I needed to figure out who he really was before I accepted his invitation.

But I guessed he took it the wrong way. "Oh, okay. I see... Well, I guess I'll just get out of your hair then." He turned to leave, but stopped to give a little two fingered salute. "I guess I'll see you around sometime."

"No, Jaalam, wait," I said, almost pleadingly. He stopped again and looked back at me, still disheartened, but willing to listen. "I didn't mean what I said in that way. It wasn't anything that you did, honest." He stepped closer, his face expressionless. Choosing my words carefully, I continued. "Jaalam, I'm really sorry. I just...don't really feel comfortable being in a relationship yet. I just moved here, and there are still some things that I need to work out on my own first. Do you trust me?"

He smiled half-heartedly. "I trust you."

"So...friends?"

He nodded curtly. "Definitely."

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"You disappoint me, Apprentice."

"I'm trying, sir."

"Try harder!"

"I just need time. She believes that I trust _her_, but she doesn't trust _me_. Not yet."

"Make it quick, but do it right. Amon won't be pleased."

"I will. I'm close. I know it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Something seems to be holding her back, but she seems interested."

"Well make sure she gets _real_ interested."

"Of course, sir."

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Soon after Jaalam left, Tenzin sat down his family, Korra, and I and went over the training schedule for pretty much the rest of the year. He didn't exactly explain what all we would be _doing_, but he sure did tell us _when_. Apparently it wouldn't be too different from how life was at the compound – strict rules enforced, time frames that were set yet flexible. We did appreciate the generous amount of free time between sessions, though. For our first day on the island, Tenzin did not seem to entertain the idea of training immediately. He thought we should have time to "get used to our surroundings" before diving in.

That turned out to be a good thing because, as adaptable as Korra and I were before, moving half-way across the world was a big step for us. And while we settled in fairly quickly, it took some time for us to adjust to all of the attention we recieved. Acolytes and White Lotus members actually acknowledged our existence, and would carry on conversations with us if we gave them the chance. And then there was Tenzin's family. It was a sometimes annoying – but other times nice – change to visit with the three airbender kids.

For Korra, life was good. She was a little irritated with being stuck on the island and not having the chance to explore, but she was content with just being away from home. I felt similarly until it dawned on me that Jaalam's first visit wasn't his last. He returned nearly every other day. Still uncomfortable with his familiarity, I typically answered his calls if only for a few minutes before finding some polite excuse to leave. He had never given me a reason to dislike him – after that first day he refrained from asking me out again – but while I admired his respect for me, it wasn't enough for me to try to spend much time with him.

About a week and a half after we arrived, Jaalam had visited me a total of six times. It was frustrating at times, knowing I was letting him down – or maybe even leading him on – by avoiding him. But I tried to ignore that voice in my head telling me that I was doing so. It wasn't as if I had meant to do that. Finally I decided that I needed some fresh air, so while Korra was inside chatting with Pema and Meelo, I went outside to take a stroll around the island. It was definitely strange exploring alone but I figured that I had better get used to it.

Eventually I found myself walking Khani down the rocky cliffs that supported the church. The jagged mountainside loomed overhead, and boulders over ten feet tall dotted the scenic coastline. The waves were strong that day and pounded the shore mercilessly, showering everything with its thick, salty spray. Khani hopped happily from one flat rock to another, her sticky pads gripping the boulders with ease. As the pup-sized dog continued her quest, I sat down on a water-smoothed stone to take in my surroundings. I took off my shoes and dipped my feet in a natural pool, feeling the cool ebb of the waves against my ankles and the vibrations of the sandy sea floor against my feet. I felt the swish of darting fish, the hairy tendril-hairs of a creeping starfish-crab, and the slinking slime of a snail-sloth. I breathed in deeply through my nose and let what hair I left down blow in the mild ocean breeze. _So this is what my life will be like from now on,_ I thought alone. _It's so beautiful here. I can see the blue of the sky through the non-existant clouds of a coming snowstorm, and the blue of water that hasn't been frozen ten times over, and a city – a huge, gorgeous city with so many new places and faces to see._

Several faces in particular came to mind. I thought back to the previous week, and of everyone that we had met since we arrived.

_First, Tenzin. He's been a life-long friend, but to have him as my and Korra's mentor will certainly take some work. And Chief Bei Fong, she's...touchy. She's Toph's daughter, so spite is in her blood, but even Toph had her sarcasm and wit. Is Lin the same way? Her mood definitely changed when Tenzin came in. I bet since her mother and his father were friends that they sure saw a lot of each other growing up..._

Khani snapped me out of my musings when she sat and curled up next to me, relaxing in the peak of the autumn sunshine. I scratched the top of her furry little head and rubbed the soft bases of her ears as my eyes were fixed on the horizon.

_Hmm, what about those three guys Korra beat up last week? What were they called? The Triple Threat Triads? They got arrested, but somehow I don't think we've seen the last of them. I'm sure they could cause some trouble, but, despite their name, I don't think they're _that_ much of a threat. If two teenage girls could take on all three adult men, then they can't be more than a little gang of bullies._

Two more faces came to mind when I thought of the Triple Threats.

_The protestor and that man on the poster behind him. Why was he so against benders? He said that we were oppressing nonbenders. I may have lived in isolation all my life, but I've taken enough history and geography and government classes to know that benders are _not_ oppressing society._

_And, hang on a second! Tenzin is on the city council – he's a part of the government! He'd never oppress anyone! I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but I believe it would be wise to keep an eye on that protestor and anyone like him. Surely he wasn't the only one. He was rallying bystanders to join Amon._

_Amon...I guess he's the guy on the poster. I'm not sure if I like what they're doing. This may be something that is bigger than us, something bigger than we can handle. Something we will have little control over..._

A loud crack echoed off the cliff, disturbing the peacefulness of the salty morning air as well as my thoughts. Curious, I turned my head in the direction of the sound – overhead. Just as I did a whole mess of rock dislodged from their precarious places and tumbled over the edge of the island above me. Thinking quickly I threw my hands up to slow their decent and possibly redirect their course. The weight was intense. The heafty mass of earth pressed down with what seemed like the strength of gravity to the tenth power. I struggled to hold it all up. Within minutes sweat trickled down my face and neck. Painfully I rose to my feet, trying to put leverage – or whatever the term was – in my favor. But unlike Khani, my bare feet did nothing to keep me grounded. The slickness of the stone made walking difficult as I inched my way out of range of the rockslide. Several times I nearly slipped and had to stop to regain my footing and steady my breathing.

Khani watched curiously from a short ways down the shore, tipping her head at the strange spectical before her. Cautiously she padded forward, paused, then continued forward again.

"No, Khani. Stay," I managed to say through gritted teeth.

For a moment she looked at me. Hurt could be seen in her crystal eyes. She obeyed, but just for that one moment. Determined, she crept closer a pace or two, then darted under the boulders now sinking under my weakened arms and quick as a flash she nabbed my shoes in her tack-like teeth and scurried over to me. Just then my strength gave out, and the rocks crashed with a cacophony of clunks, thumps, and thuds. The catastrophe was so enourmous that it sent shockwaves through the earth over to me, and I had to kneel down to keep myself from slipping again. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, covered my ears with both hands, and tried to block out the tremors in my head until it was over. When the rucus was finally over, I peeked an eye open. Staring at me happily and proudly was little Khani, who dropped the shoes in front of me. I could have sworn she was smiling.

After giving Khani a quick pat on the head I slipped on my shoes, then slowly stood up and surveyed the scene. The dust had not yet settled and forced me to cough a time or two to clear it from my lungs. I waved a hand in front of my face to clear it from my nose and mouth as well. Boulders and rubble were heaped in a substantial pile exactly where I had been standing moments before. "What in the world...?" Looking up with a shaky hand up to shield my eyes, I scrutinized the place from where the rocks fell. "Either that was some crazy accident, or this was done on purpose."

_"Katalana? You alright?"_ Korra asked me mentally.

I turned to see her riding a bended ocean wave from the peak of the island down to where I was standing, Tenzin floating down at her heels. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little shaken. Huge tremors like that rattle my brain a bit too much."

Tenzin glanced at me oddly, seeing as no one had said anything and yet I had given a reply as if one of them had. "Never mind that. I'm not taking any chances. I'm taking you straight to the infirmary."

"The infirmary?" Korra and I asked in unison.

"That's not really necessary," I protested. "The rocks didn't hit me, I'm not crushed. Not a scratch on me. Korra and I are both fine."

"She's right. I would know if she was injured in any way."

"This is not up for debate." Though still puzzled as to why Korra would know that, he wasn't kidding. Before either of us could say anything more he scooped me up into his arms and carried me up the winding path up to the church himself. Neither Korra nor I knew what was with his strange behavior then nor would we ever find out. What I did know was that it was awkward being carried like a child when I was nearly a fully grown woman, but after the mental trauma I endured it was nice not having to use my own legs. As fine as I felt initially after the crash, it was starting to sink in that I just narrowly avoided death.

Trying not to think much of my close encounter I sighed deeply and laid my head against Tenzin's chest. There was no use fighting him. We were nearly to the church infirmary anyhow. When we entered we were greeted warmly by the nurse and doctor, who gave me a brief but thorough examination. He determined that I had recieved no bodily harm besides perhaps sore muscles from me shielding myself from the rockslide. However, he did recommend that I should remain in his office for at least a day or two for "observation." It wouldn't have been hard for me to convince the doctor that his recommendation was appreciated but not required, but Tenzin of course wouldn't hear of it. In order to ensure my day of rest he would have locked the door behind him had he been in charge of the office keys.

"Wow. Overkill-much?" Korra drolled after the adults left.

"No doubt," I agreed. "As much as I appreciate their concern, this is a bit much. But I don't really want to argue with him, especially since we haven't even been here very long. He could still change his mind about sending us home."

"No he can't. I already told the city that I'm staying, he'd make me a liar by sending us home now. And he would _dare_ send you home alone. Not if I have anything to say about it!"

"Korra," I drawled.

"I know, I know. I won't go starting anything – yet." She paused her complaining and looked at me earnestly. "So how are you doing, really?"

Shifting in place to prove it, I answered honestly. "I'm _fine._ I wasn't hurt by debris and my arms could have used the excercise anyway. The crash was pretty loud and brain-rattling at first, but that has passed too. Now I'm just a little tired. But more than that I'm curious about the rockslide."

"Why?"

"I don't think it was a natural occurance."

"What makes you say that?"

"To be honest I'm not really sure. But you know I don't believe in coincidences, right?"

"Right... And...?"

"And what are the chances of a huge mess of rocks falling right where I was standing? Any pile of rocks could have fallen anywhere at any time. Why those rocks? Why there? Why right then, when I was standing under them?"

"You make a good point, but as you said, it could have happened anywhere at any time. I don't think it really means anything that it just so happened to happen when and where it did."

"Really? You, the conspiracy theorist, doesn't think that this means something?"

"Well what do you want me to do? Go investigate the rock ledge?"

"Yes!"

"Ladies?" The doctor poked his head inside the door. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I will have to ask Miss Korra to leave."

Korra opened her mouth to make a retort but I stopped her with a look. With a frustrated eye roll, she lowered her voice to me. "Alright, alright, I won't start anything. And while I don't understand why this rockslide is such a big deal, I will go check it out for you. Now I'd better get going before the doc calls Mr. Overprotective in here again. I'll see you when you get outta here tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. And Korra?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"See you in the morning."

"Sure."

As soon as Korra shut the door behind her I was alone again. The doctor bothered me as little as possible to allow me time to rest. _So much for being under "observation," _I joked with myself. But while I was left in solitude for a purpose, it didn't do much good. Being alone and bored out of my mind gave me plenty of time to think, which was exactly what I didn't want to be doing. So, trying to both calm my own nerves and obey the doctor's wishes, I allowed myself to nod in and out of sleep for a while. And while we had all intended for it to be restful, this was not so either.

In an instant I was out. It was deathly still, dangerously dark. Then the scene changed. Time seemed to speed up. It was quicker than a lightning strike, then brighter than the sun. Then there were images. People I didn't know, but had heard countless stories of.

First, a man dressed in long robes of different colors I could not determine. His face held a likeness to Tenzin's, but not so similar that they would be mistaken for the other. He was not particularly tall, and he had an almost child-like face. His skin was pale, which nicely contrasted the striking airbender tattoo that came to a point between his eyebrows. I recognized him immediately as Aang, Tenzin's father and the former Avatar. I had seen many pictures of him – paintings and sculptures too – but never had I seen him depicted as I saw him then: in pain. His eyes were squeezed shut, his lips pulled back in agony revealing teeth clenched much too tightly.

The picture was only there for a second before switching to another man. This one frightened me. He was a Water Tribe man that I didn't recognize. He was of average height and had incredibly defined features, so chiseled they looked almost inhuman, and his icy blue eyes were opened unnaturally wide and he was wearing a malicious grin. It was as though he was enjoying the Avatar's pain, as if he would enjoy the pain of millions. He looked as though he would get what he wanted by any means necessary, and as though he had and would use those means.

Then that image faded. Next was a rather short metalbender cop clothed in the same uniform as Republic City's current Chief of Police. Her hair was pulled up and at first her expression was blank. Too blank. Her eyes were a very pale green with a foggy sheen to them, glazed over. The first name that came to mind was Toph. It had to be her. But like Aang, her expression was strained. I could almost hear her moaning as she resisted some unseen force that took hold of her, dragging her arm out before her.

Then it was dark.

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"Katalana! Katalana!" said a man's voice.

Achingly I shifted beneath the sheets of the infirmary bed and groaned.

"Katalana," the voice said a little calmer.

Slowly I opened my eyes. My vision was blurry, but I could just make out the shape of two men and two women. Eventually my eyes cleared and I could see the relieved faces of the doctor, Tenzin, Pema, and Korra. I felt the hands on my arms relax a bit and slowly I propped myself up on one elbow. Immediately I regretted that because my arm muscles felt like they had been through a taffy puller for a week straight. My head throbbed and my thoughts were scrambled, which only made the pounding worse. After a minute or so I tried recalling my dream, but it was fuzzy and kept drifting in and out of focus. Then, remembering I was not alone, I focused on my visitors again.

"You were having a nightmare," Korra said after a minute.

"I know," I murmured, still trying to pull the rest of it out of my still-darkened mind. "Do you remember it?"

"Yes, every detail."

"Good. It wasn't pretty, but I think it's important."

She nodded.

Tenzin glanced between the two of us, perplexed by our conversation. "What do you mean?"

Korra and I exchanged glances. "Guess we haven't done a very good job at hiding it."

"Because we weren't trying to. He was going to find out sooner or later."

"So should we tell him now?"

"As I said, sooner or later. Now is as good of a time as any."

"Suits me fine, but..." We both glanced at the doctor.

Tenzin could take a hint. "Uh, Doctor, I see that no immediate medical attention is required. Might you allow us a few moments alone with the girls?"

"Oh, yes, certainly, certainly." And with that he exited the room.

Again Tenzin turned to face us after setting himself at the foot of my bed. I shifted into a sitting position so that he and Pema could both sit together while Korra moved to a chair closer to my head. "Now what is this about Korra remembering your dreams?"

"You'll think we're crazy," I protested lamely.

"Try me."

Finally I nodded to Korra for her to explain. "Well, you already got a small taste of what we can do when I called you and Pema in here. We don't know how or why we can do it, but Katalana and I assume it's because we are twins. You see, she and I can..._sense_ things about each other. Physical and emotional things: pain, sadness, fear, but also joy and relaxation. But beyond that...we can see and hear what the other sees and hears, even when we are nowhere near each other. We can feel what each other feels, share our thoughts, and even see each others' dreams."

"Incredible," said the astonished airbender. "How long have you two been able to do this?"

Shrugging, she answered, "We don't know. Forever, probably, but we found out about it when we were nine. We mastered it by the time we were twelve."

"Okay, _mastered_ may be taking it too far, but we definitely figured out the mindreading aspect of it by then," I cut in. "There are still some kinks we need to work out."

"Kinks?" asked Pema, who had been sitting quietly throughout most of the conversation.

"Yes. It's usually not a big deal. Mostly our connection is optional, meaning we can open or close our minds at practically any time. Our mental walls' strengths depends on how hard we try to block each other out, which isn't often very hard. But there are times when we have very little control over what we feel, especially pain – espeically physical, but emotional creeps in sometimes, like when we have nightmares."

"Which is why Korra remembers yours, and why she brought us in here," Tenzin finished.

We nodded.

"Well, this certainly is news. Why didn't you tell anyone about this sooner?"

I looked at Korra the same way she looked at me, and we both shrugged. "There isn't really a good reason. We just didn't want to be treated as 'special' or like there was something wrong with us. It's not like we know many twins, but we didn't think that having such a stong link between us was normal."

"You're right, it's not. And I believe it was good of you two to keep it hidden for so long. Does anyone else know about this?"

"Just-" I cut myself off. There was someone else. Key word _was._ "No one. Not even our parents. Just the people in this room."

"Alright. Good. I think it could be beneficial if you two continue to develop this ability, but continue to hide it from others as well." The master airbender's face darkened. "You never know when someone might want to manipulate one of you to get to the other. This is a dangerous blessing."

_"Funny,"_ I thought to Korra. _"That's just what Katara said when we left the South Pole."_

_"Like mother like son,"_ she agreed.

"Alright." And that was that. With our secret revealed and its fate settled, the room was quiet. But only for a moment.

"Korra," I said to get her attention. "Did you ever check out the-"

"Yes but-"

Our glances met again when they fell on Tenzin. This time Pema noticed first and understood perfectly. "Tenzin, dear, would you care for something warm to drink? I am suddenly in the mood for some jasmine tea."

"Certainly," he said absentmindedly, "but what about-"

"Their privacy, hmm?" she murmured with a warning. "They are teenage girls, Tenzin. Let's let them alone while we enjoy our tea, alright?"

"Of course, my dear. Of course." Reluctantly he followed his wife out of the room, leaving Korra and I to discuss her findings.

"So? What did you see?"

"Well I would have seen more had it not been for your nightmare, but I did manage to get a fairly good layout of the scene and, honestly, nothing seemed to be askew."

"Really?" I asked with a hint of disappointment. "Nothing?"

"Why is this such a bad thing? Aren't you glad that no one is out to get us?"

"Yet. No one's out to get us _yet_. You're the Avatar, remember? You'll make some enemies for us eventually. But sticking to the subject at hand, I'm still not convinced that it was just a flick of the wind."

"What do you want me to say? There were skid marks or trail marks or whatever you want to call them from where the rocks fell, but there weren't any fingerprints, footprints, trash, leverage marks, or _witnesses_. There was nothing there to indicate any kind of sabotage. Come on, Katalana, you gotta trust me on this."

With a reluctant sigh I sank back into the pillows. "I do trust you. Thanks for checking that out for me and I'm sorry I made you go. I guess I'm just being paranoid. There's just been so much going on lately that I don't know what to think anymore."

"Trust me I know what you mean. But you're not just saying this to get me to relax, are you? You're not going out there to see for yourself?"

"_Now_ who's being paranoid? Come on, I said I trust you. And I do. Believe me I have no intention of going out there again for a while – and especially not alone."

"Oh! That reminds me. You weren't alone out there earlier, were you?"

"Yes- well, no. Would you count Khani? Oh! Khani! Where is she?!"

Korra simply laughed and got up to open the door. Before she could say a word the happy pup barked and dahsed toward the bed and hopped up on her hind legs to try to see me and lick my face. Her unfortunate size hindered her from doing so, so Korra gave her a boost and that furry, giddy little face of hers was immidiately inches from mine as she tickled my nose with her tongue. I laughed and gently nudged her down into my lap so I would no longer be smothered by her drool. "Okay, girl. That's enough, that's enough. Come here, you!" I giggled as I tucked her neatly under the topsheet of the bed. Her crystal blue eyes, though shaded, sparkled like aquamarine gems, and somehow just one look into those carefree little orbs gave me hope that everything was going to turn out just fine.

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Kat: Sooooo...? What'd ya' thiiiiink? Initially this was going to be just a filler chapter and I had actually considered pulling it entirely, but I reworked it BIIIIIG TIIIIIME and now I think it'll fit well with this little mystery that's come up. You guys did catch that, right? About the whole taller man/smaller man thing? I hope you did, but if not then it'll become more obvious later on.

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I do not own ATLA or TLOK or any of it's characters/settings/themes, etc.

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Idk when I'll have the next chapter out. I have a yearbook workshop this weekend, but before &amp; after that I don't think I have a whole lot going on that would interfere with my writing/editing time. But I do feel like I should probably get out of bed sometime soon b/c literally I've been sitting in it for about 3 days now. Granted, I've been sick, but not so sick that I can't get up and do stuff. :P

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Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter &amp; that you'll stay tuned for the rest! Don't forget the CQC's! Thanks! :D


	10. Chapter 10

Kat: Quick warning, this is kind of a...strange chapter. I'm gonna be frank with y'all: I am a very strong Christian - Southern Baptist to be precise - and I don't agree with a lot of the Buddhist/Hindu/Confucius/whatever teachings are in Avatar even though I absolutely adore the show. So parts of this chapter have scenes from the show that I've changed (like parts w/ meditation &amp; whatnot) so that it isn't quite so...I don't want to say offensive, but I've altered parts that make me uncomfortable. I find the change a little awkward, but I did my best to keep this as clear as possible. I hope I'm not offending anyone and I apologize in advance if I do. Buuut on a brighter note, there's more scenes with Jaalam! Soooo...enjoy! ;)

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After such a traumatic beginning to our time on Air Temple Island, Tenzin's training sessions were delayed for quite some time. But when I had finally recovered from my brush with death – and paranoia – I was ready to join Korra for her first day of Airbending training.

"Come on Korra, wake up! First day!" I sang as I shook her into reality. It was still before dawn. Not even the horizon was tinged with any warmth yet. It was almost as if we were kids again, racing to and from place to place before even the hunters geared up. But that was a long time ago. As teenagers we had morphed into morning-haters. Well, Korra had.

My sister squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the covers tighter around her. "Go away. I'm asleep."

"Get up! You've put this off long enough!"

"To help you!" she protested into her pillow.

"Touche. Now up!"

"Sleep."

I hummed thoughtfully and tapped my chin with my forefinger. "Do I need to use _stronger measures_?"

"You're not a waterbender," she mumbled sleepily, thinking she understood. "And you don't have a bucket. Good luck dousing me."

"Who said anything about using water?"

Her eyes immediately snapped open. She knew what I meant. Being an earthbender could definitely come in handy from time to time. "You wouldn't."

"Wanna bet?"

She glared at me a moment longer before she muttered a reluctant "fine." Then she slowly got up and inched across the room – slinging a pillow at me on her way – then changed slower than a snail-sloth. When she returned she was wearing a yellow, loose-fitted shirt and matching pants with a pale red shawl. The style and colors matched that of the original airbenders, which Tenzin believed would allow Korra to more easily tap into her natural airbending ability. But being her stubborn self, Korra rolled up the shawl so that it sat on her shoulders, revealing her blue Water Tribe band around her upper arm. Even though she was more than symbolically bonded to all of the nations, she was still emotionally tied to her homeland. Plus she didn't like how the shawl never fully rested on her arm but rather flipped and fidgeted with every movement.

"Took you long enough," I teased, as I took her place in the restroom to change. Even though I wasn't the one who needed training, I wanted to be supportive of Korra – and I wanted to learn the techniques for myself even if I couldn't use them. Since I was joining her airbending session I wore the same thing she did – only I left the shawl down, as it was supposed to be. We both stood at the mirror looking as identical as ever. We have the same face, the same tan skin, same honey-brown hair, and then the same clothes. Only that day Korra's usual blue eyes were now brown with scattered flecks of amber that reflected the firebender side of her person. My eyes were still as green as always, the color of emeralds. Korra began to style her hair in her usual triple ponytail – one in back with two smaller ones framing her face. Typically I would style my hair differently most every day, testing out hundreds of different ponytails, braids, loops, and combinations of those styles, but that day I felt like mimicking Korra's famous do.

"Are you _trying_ to confuse people?" she joked when she saw what I was doing.

"No, I just-"

"Girls, are you ready?"

Without even having to open the door, we knew who it was. "Good morning Tenzin! We'll be right out!" With that, I pulled my last section of hair through its band and together we opened the door and headed out. I was about to follow Korra out, but I stopped. I tugged at the collar of my outfit and pulled it gently over my betrothal necklace. I didn't want to risk the possibility of damaging it while in training.

We both followed Tenzin at a distance. The wind blew his billowing robes at us through the open-aired walkways. "So," he began, addressing Korra. "My mother informs me that you have never been able to airbend."

Korra hesitated in both voice and step. Finally she let loose a frustrated sigh and explained, "Yes, but I don't know why. Fire and water came so easily to me. But _every single time_ I've tried airbending – pfft" -she fluttered her lips- "nothing.

"That's perfectly alright," he said, stopping and turning to face her. "We just need to be patient. Often times the element most difficult for the Avatar to master is the element most opposite to the Avatar's personality. For Aang it was Earthbending," he explained, rolling her shawl back down over her arms.

"Well I'm about as opposite an airbender as you can get. Even so, earthbending should have come as easily to me as the other elements."

"I did say 'often times.' Not everything can be so easily explained. Sometimes things happen that only God could have put into motion – or withheld from motion. But for now, we will focus on your airbending. Let's begin your first lesson." As he finished, he led us out into the courtyard and up some elaborate stone steps. In front of us were two dozen or so wooden panels easily seven feet tall. They were standing vertically on poles stuck in a circular stone slab. The panel's paint was old and chipped and faded, but the swirled Air Nomad symbol was still as striking as ever.

When she saw us coming, Ikki did an exuberant combination of squealing, clapping, and jumping up and down. "Korra's gonna airbend! Korra's gonna airbend!"

We both gave an amused snort at her enthusiasm and Korra, after nodding to the panels, asked curiously, "What is _that_ contraption?"

"A time-honored tool used to teach the basic fundamentals of airbending. Jinora, would you like to explain this exercise?"

Jinora held a hand up as if to display the tool. "The goal is to weave your way through the gates without touching them,"

"Seems easy enough," Korra said. She nodded her head at the seemingly simplistic task.

Ikki piped up before her sister could continue, "Jinora forgot to mention that you have to make it through while the gates are spinning!"

_"__Oh boy,"_ thought Korra. _"This just got a whole lot harder."_

_"__Oh, I don't know. It looks cool to me."_

_"Of course you think so."_

_"What's that supposed to-"_

Tenzin stepped forward and lifted his arms. He held his palms out to face the panels and then swooped his arms, bending his wrists so that his hands followed the flow. A huge gust of wind surged forward, sending the gates into a frenzy. A small leaf sailed overhead and Tenzin plucked it out of the air. Then he released it and pushed his palm toward it so that a smaller breeze carried it forward. The leaf floated through the gates with ease as it first blew one way, then flipped and changed directions before suddenly sommersaulting and flying away through the opposite side of the circle. "The key is to be like the leaf. See how its movements _flow_ and _move_ through the gates. Jinora will demonstrate."

The twelve year old stepped into the labyrinth. She allowed her body to bend and shift in any direction, then twirled when she met any resistance. Her quest was completed flawlessly, not having touched a single panel. From the other end she punched the air and sent a blast back through the circle. Again the boards spun wildly. "Korra, your turn."

At the invitation Korra cracked her knuckles and confidently exclaimed, "Let's do this!" She rushed into the maze. The first few panels were no problem and she rushed through them with ease. Suddenly one gate caught her off guard as it spun around and smacked her in the face. We both yelped in pain. Tenzin and his children cringed at Korra's mistake and peered at me strangely, but I tried to ignore them as I watched Korra struggle. She continued to push past the twisting doors, slamming into one, then being thrown into another. After about four or five whacks, she was ousted from the circle and landed flat on her back in the same place she began. Stubborn as she was, she ran back in.

And again.

And again.

And again.

All trials came to the same result.

"Don't force your way through!" Jinora encouraged.

"Dance! Dance like the wind!" Ikki sang.

"Be the leaf!" Meelo reminded her, waving his arms like the waves or the wind or...whatever he was doing.

I said nothing as I rubbed the sore spots on my face and arms. She was trying way too hard.

An hour later Tenzin finally stopped her. She stumbled out of the maze, both of us now numb with pain. "Perhaps you have had enough training for the day."

She nodded mutely.

Before I could understand what I was doing or stop myself from doing it, I heard myself break Tenzin's order. "Actually-"

The others peered at me curiously. "Yes?"

I shifted in place, not sure how to continue. As soon as everyone's attention was on me my confidence plummeted. "Well, if you don't mind the inconvenience...I would like to give it a go."

Along with the rest of the group, Tenzin raised his eyebrows. My request surprised him, but he nodded his consent. "Of course. Even other types of benders can learn the fundamentals of airbending. Knowledge is not exclusive to any one nation and is yours for the taking."

With a small smile and a nodded thanks, I approached the circle, making time for Tenzin to send another gust of air through the contraption. My hair and clothes slapped my face and chest as the breeze whipped past me. I squeezed my eyes and fists closed in excitement. Then I inhaled deeply and let it slowly whistle through my lips. I stepped forward. The first panel slipped by, as did the second and third. The fourth spun in the opposite direction, so I shifted my weight to avoid it. The next was again going another way, so I twisted again. At this point, my balance failed me and I stumbled, bumping into one board, then tripping into another. When I found my footing, my rhythm returned and I wound my way through to the end, only brushing one other gate. On the other side I sighed with relief. That was difficult, but not as difficult as Korra made it seem.

When I looked up to hear Tenzin's evaluation, I was met with five wide-eyed stares and four dropped jaws. Tenzin was especially dumbfounded. "How did you...?"

Just the number and intensity of their astonished faces was enough to make a celebrity contract stage fright. _What did I do that was so incredible? It wasn't _that_ difficult...or was it? Was it supposed to be?_ I held my palms up in an uncomfortable shrug.

"That was your first try...and it was almost perfect," Tenzin protested. "Not even Jinora did that well her first time." Jinora was still too stunned to acknowledge her father's comment. "I doubt that even _I_ did it so, so...so elegantly."

"Well, uh, I-I don't know what to say, except maybe thank you."

Finally the master remembered himself. He smoothed out his robes and stood tall, officially. "Well, girls, I suppose you two are free to rest."

"Thank you." We nodded and walked back to the room as quickly as our aching bodies would allow.

For nearly the rest of the day, Korra and I were asleep in bed. I had, at one point, asked her to slow down and think next time before charging into the labyrinth and bruising us half to death, but she just brushed me off. Later I woke up to find her gone, though Khani wagged her tail and hopped up on the bed. I figured Korra went to go eat or to find something to do, so I opted to wander the grounds of the church again – staying far from the shoreline this time. I wasn't kidding when I told her that I had no intention of returning anytime soon. By that time the sky was dark, but the air was still warm. A soft breeze filtered through the gardens when a loud voice split through the air. "_Ladies and gentlemen, I am coming to you live from Republic City's Pro-Bending Arena, where tonight, the best in the world will continue their quest to compete for a spot in the upcoming championship tournament. Graaab your snacks and graaab your kids because this one is gonna be a doozy_!"

I looked around to see where the noise was coming from. The arena was all the way across the bay; there was no way sound could travel that far. Sure enough, I noticed above me a terrace where three White Lotus members huddled around a large, boxy radio. Curious, I leaned against the wall and listened in.

"_This Mako's got moxy. He advances, fires two quick shots. His teammates follow up with a water whip and a rock-a-pow... Yomo is hammered back to Zone Three. The clock is winding down. Can Yomo hold on_?! _He's teetering on the edge of the ring now. The Fire Ferrets line up to strike aaaaaand-_"

From my spot below the terrace I could just see over the railing, and I watched the three men whirl around. Tenzin stood in the doorway to the attendants' quarters holding the unplugged cord from the radio. "Korra, come down here please."

The teenager dropped her head over the edge of the roof, frowning, then flipped down. "You shut it off at the best part!"

"I thought I made myself clear. I don't want you listening to this distracting nonsense."

"But it's _their_ radio!" She pointed to the sentries. The men exchanged confused and stunned glances, then nodded and left the room. "And technically you said I couldn't _watch_ a match. You never said _anything_ about _listening_ to one."

"You-you know what I meant! And shouldn't you-shouldn't you be in bed by now?" With that, he stormed off, sending a frustrated blast of air against her in his dramatic exit.

Korra stood with her arms crossed, staring after him in exasperated disbelief. "Katalana, you can get up here too."

I reached up and grabbed onto the railing of the terrace and with a gymnist-like kick I swung myself over. "How'd you know I was there?"

"It's a twin thing." I gave her a skeptical look. "I saw you mid-flip," she admitted, smiling.

"That's more like it. Now come on, he's right. We should be in bed. If tomorrow will be anything like what we had today, we're going to need all the rest we can get."

.

.

.

The next morning I rose bright and early. Korra was still asleep, but since it was still early I decided not to wake her yet. Even so, I dediced on getting myself ready for the day. Having been on the island for nearly three weeks had given us plenty of time to pick up some new clothes. Quickly I got dressed in a blue, long-sleeved shirt and tights, covered by a long blue-and-white dress, cut with the sides of the skirt open for easy movement. After smoothing down all the wrinkles, I strode over to the mirror to do my hair. As soon as I caught a glimpse of myself, I froze. My hair was still a mess from sleeping on it – which was scary enough – but that wasn't what frightened me. I went over to Korra and shook her vigorously. "Korra!"

"What?" she grumbled, burying her face deeper into the pillow.

"What color are my eyes?" I asked shakily.

"You woke me up for _that_?"

My voice grew desperate as I shook her again. "Come on Korra, just answer me!"

"Green," she mumbled without looking up. "Now let me sleep."

"Korra this is _serious_! Get up and look at me! My eyes are _not_ green!"

"What? Of course they are! You're an Earthbender! All earthbenders...have...green...eyes..." Her voice trailed off as she lifted her head and looked at my eyes. My clear, shining, _hazel_ eyes.

.

.

.

"This _is_ rather unusual," Tenzin remarked after we showed my change to him. "I have never known anyone's eyes to change color except for the Avatars'. The color of his or her eyes are the corresponding color for the last element he or she used."

"So how would you explain this?" I asked. "I'm not the Avatar."

Our mentor stroked his beard in thought and answered, choosing his words carefully. "Well...I suppose that since you and Korra – the Avatar – are sisters, and twins no less, you two share similar physical traits and tendencies, therefore, you both have eyes that change colors."

"I guess that makes _some_ sense, in a way. I just don't understand why it hasn't happened until now, or why they are Airbender Hazel instead of Waterbender Blue or Firebender Amber, like Korra's."

"I _was_ practicing an Airbending technique yesterday – as were you," Korra pointed out.

"True... Do you think they'll ever change back?"

"I don't see why not. Mine do. But you know you _could_ test this theory."

Nodding in hesitant agreement I stomped my heel into the ground, raising a disk of earth up from the pavement between us, then I pushed my palms down, forcing the slab down with it. Although I couldn't see my own eyes, I could tell from Tenzin and Korra's expressions that they resumed their natural green hue.

Korra grinned in an "I told you so," kind of way. "See? Everything is fine."

"I guess. This is just going to take some getting used to."

"I understand." She paused. "So now what?"

"Now," Tenzin spoke this time. "We begin your second lesson. Come." From the center of the church he led us toward the west wing and down a long outdoor hallway. At the end there was a sitting area, where the three airbender children were already waiting for their father. They all sat with their backs to us. They were on their knees with their hands lying in their laps. Two vacant pillows sat on either side of the kids while a third was placed in front of them. Korra and I sat on either side of the mini-airbenders and Tenzin took the one ahead. The two of us copied the childrens' position and waited for Tenzin to begin. He did not. He sat up on his knees, his hands clasped together and his head bowed in prayer. _That's odd,_ I mused. _What does this have to do with our lesson? I mean, sure, we've prayed some in the past, but it was never anything fancy._ No matter how unrelated it seemed, I copied their stance and began to pray silently.

On the other hand, I could feel Korra fidgeting restlessly. Doing nothing was _not_ one of her specialties. She kept squirming, pulling at her clothes, sniffling, and opening her eyes. Once she even leaned over to look at the rest of us. "I think I'm doing this wrong."

Tenzin kept his eyes closed and answered, his tone rigid, "That's just it. There is nothing _to_ do." After collecting his thoughts for a time, he continued. "Korra, for most of your life you have focused on the physical aspects of being the Avatar. Now that is not a bad thing when it comes to the physical aspects of bending, particularly earth and fire, but airbending and sometimes even waterbending require you to open yourself to more spiritual matters."

"So...what? Are you gonna preach a sermon now?"

As calm as Tenzin was trying to be I could still see his eyebrow twitching in irritation. "All I am here to do is to help you realize your place as the Avatar. It will be up to you whether or not you want to let me help you."

"Of course I want this. All I've ever wanted to be is the Avatar."

"Good. Then pay attention." He paused as his children, Korra, and I all got situated to listen to him before beginning the lesson. Once he held everyone's attention he went on. "God created man. He also created bending. He created all of the good that is in the world – including the Avatar. No matter how much you want to deny it, avoid it, or resent it, you must first get to know Him before you can fully understand yourself. Now I know you haven't had much experience being in church or carrying out some of the traditions Christians hold dear, but that is why I am here. The Avatar is the link between God and the elements as well as the link between God and the people. You are the one who can provide balance between them. But it will take time for those skills to develop. Today I thought we would start a little smaller. Instead of doing the acting, it is oftentimes better to do the listening. Right now we are coming to Him humbly, so that we may listen to His plan for the world so that we can act on it when the time comes."

"Now as good as that sounds," Korra answered, trying only somewhat to be tactful. "What does this have to do with Airbending?"

"Listening teaches patience, discipline, and obidience, and it allows your mind and spirit to relax – to be free – for Air is the element of freedom."

Korra scoffed sarcastically.

"Is something funny?"

"Um, yeah! You're telling me to _embrace freedom_, but you won't even let me _listen to a radio_? And forget about leaving this island!"

"Please, Korra. Look at Meelo," he said. He cracked an eye open. "He is able to sit and listen peacefully."

Still skeptical, Korra leaned over and took a closer look at the young boy. His little chest rose and fell rhythmically. His mouth hung open and snot was dripping from his nose. Korra could actually hear faint snoring. "Actually I think he's asleep."

"What?!" he exclaimed, his voice rising ever so slightly. "Well, at least he has the relaxing part down."

"Whatever. None of this airbending stuff makes any sense to me."

"I know you're frustrated, but these teachings will sink in over time. Then one day, they'll just click."

Korra sat up straight and attempted to listen intently for all of two seconds, then she let out a deep breath she'd been holding and stood up. "Yeah, it's not sinking in yet. I'm gonna go get a glass of leechy juice."

In protest Tenzin raised his voice again, "Korra, the lesson is not over yet!"  
Ikki, seeing no problem with Korra walking out, piped up. "Daddy? Can I have some leechy juice too?"

"No."

She frowned, disappointed. Meelo groaned, swayed a time or two, then fell flat on his back. Jinora only opened one eye, annoyed by her siblings' distracting behavior. I said nothing. Those of us left continued the session, sitting up straight, hands clasped together, eyes closed, heads bowed, listening to the soft sounds of the early dawn. I tried to also listen to any Higher Power that might have something to say to me, but I didn't strain myself in doing so. My mind was clear; I ignored any thoughts about Korra or my friends or Republic City. I just sat. It was enjoyable. It actually disappointed me to have to end the session later that morning. Tenzin had a meeting with the City Council and the younger children ran off to play. Jinora and I went into the kitchen to talk. We sat down at one of the low-lying tables and were there in an awkward silence before I said anything.

"So, Jinora, how are you?"

"I'm good, thanks. And you?"

"Good. Still adjusting to island life, but otherwise good."

"Still adjusting?" She gave me a quizzical look and brushed her black bangs away from her eyes. "How come?"

"I don't know. It's so different here. Not anything like the South Pole."

"Well of course!" she exclaimed, lighting up a bit. "The South Pole is a frozen tundra year-round. It snows here, sure, but the temperature rarely drops below freezing."

"It's not just the weather. Actually the weather is the _least_ of my worries."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that everything is so new to me. All my life I read about cities and how they were built and who built them and how they function, but reading about them is completely different from being up close and personal. Our first day in town was such a culture shock! I don't think I'd ever met so many different types of people in my life. The clothes, the colors, the abilities, the bustle of city life. And then there's this island. It's so calm and peaceful and warm. Even back home we had the quiet, but it was a dark, cold kind of quiet, you know? Oh, probably not. You probably don't even care, huh?"

"Of course I care," Jinora argued. "That _is_ a whole lot to take in. But don't worry, you'll get used to it. The great thing about living on an island is that you can escape the outside world."

"I suppose. But with the island comes airbending. I just don't understand it all. When it comes to water or fire, Korra is a _genius_, but when it comes to air, she's...she lacks concentration and discipline. Sometimes it seems like _I'm_ more of an airbender than she is. But come to think of it, it's also kind of odd that I'm an Earthbender because I'm so easygoing – the complete opposite of earth in every way."

"Maybe that's why you're so good at all of the airbending techniques, because of your personality. That could also be why your eyes change colors."

I thought about it. It was a good theory, but it still seemed a little flimsy. "Maybe."

There was a brief silence as we both thought for a minute.

"Okay, so what do you want to talk about now?"

"Um...I don't know."

A long pause followed.

"So...did you enjoy the lesson?"

"Yep. You?"

"Yep."

Another seemingly unending silence succeeded the small talk.

"Okay this is ridiculous," I complained.

"What is?"

"We've been friends for a long time now and yet neither of us can think of anything to talk about."

"I agree, but what is there to discuss? As you said, we've been friends for a long time, but it's not like we were ever very close."

"True. There is a big age difference between us."

"And we only see you a couple times a year."

"Yeah..."

"So...what do we talk about?"

"I don't know, come up with something! Talk about whatever you want to talk about."

Another quiet emptiness filled the room. I could tell she was thinking of ideas but could come up with nothing.

"Okaaay," I said. "How about we talk about you?"

"Alright... What do you want to know?" Jinora asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know... Favorite color?"

As she folded her arms across the table she answered, "That's pretty lame."

"I know," I admitted. "But it's a start. So...?"

"Yellow. My favorite color is yellow."

"Favorite activity?"

"Reading – and airbending of course."

"Oh! What do you like to read?"

"Historical novels, mostly."

"Intersting. Read any good ones lately?

"Not really. I was going to start a new one soon."

"Alriiight. Favorite food?"

"I don't have a favorite. Anything homemade I suppose."

"Favorite...animal?"

"Dragonfly-Rabbit."

"Um...best friend?"

"You and Korra."

I stopped._ Did I hear that right?_ "Really? Us?"

She nodded.

"That's sweet, but...don't you have any friends your own age?"

She shrugged. "No. I've never had the chance to make any. I've never been off the island except to go see you and Korra."

This perturbed me. _Why can't or won't she leave?_ "Never?"

"Nope. With all that's going on in with city with the Equalists, Dad says it's just too dangerous."

I thought about this. Tenzin was known to be strict at times, and a little over-protective, but never letting his daughter go out? That seemed a little extreme, even for him. Maybe I could take her out sometime. Maybe with Ikki and Meelo. Maybe. I started to tell this to Jinora, but then I recalled something else she said. "Wait, who are the Eq-"

The door opened and interrupted me. The acolyte whom I assumed always answered the door stepped in. "Y-your visitor is here...a-again," she mumbled, blushing. Honestly I had been expecting her to have me come to the door relatively soon, but in the back of my mind I wondered how she always knew where to look for me. It wasn't as if I stayed in one place for very long. But it was nice to see her smile at least. That was a rare occurrance.

Jinora, curious, followed me and the attendant to the front door. Ikki joined our group along the way. When we reached the door I stepped outside and descended the short set of stairs. The girls stood at the top of the stairs, giggling quietly to themselves. My visitor, however, was much quieter. He stood tall as he rocked back and forth on his toes happily. His familiar face made me smile. Those bright blue eyes and cute, lop-sided grin made me temporarily forget who was really standing there. My stomach did a front flip in my gut while my fingers twisted my dress anxiously.

"Hi Katalana."

"Hi Matok-uh, Jaalam." My face flushed at my mistake. An apology formed with a simple helpless look.

"No problem," he said. The mistake didn't seem to bother him – he was still smiling. That was one thing I really liked about him: he was almost always smiling. And he was always smiling because of _me._ My heart fluttered in my chest when he did.

I shoved the feeling aside and groped around for something to say. "How's it going?"

Thoughtfully he nodded. "It's been going pretty well. Seems like I don't ever have a bad day – especially when you're in it." He grinned even wider and wiggled his eyebrows. My blush deepened. "How about you?"

"I've been...okay."

His grin faded. "Just okay?"

I waved the thought away and he relaxed a bit. "So...was there something you wanted?"

"Not particularly. I just wanted to see if you were busy."

"Why?"

"There was something I wanted to show you, if you wanted to come. Do you?"

"Where?"

"There would be no point in going if I told you! It's a surprise! So, will you come?"

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. _Go with a guy I still haven't figured out if I know or not to a place that he won't tell me about...? I don't know...maybe. Would this be weird? Could this be dangerous? What would Matokka think if he was here? He would probably think this was too suspicious. I mean, Jaalam's nice and all, and funny, and not too hard on the eyes either, but...wouldn't that pose as a threat to the relationship that Matokka and I share? It still hasn't been confirmed whether or not he-_ I stopped myself before I could finish that thought. But again, Jaalam was still waiting for an answer. _Matokka..._ His name echoed through my mind. I couldn't accept this invitation if Jaalam wanted this to be what I thought it was. I had to be sure. "Would you consider this a...date?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't have to be."

I wasn't convinced. "Well..."

"Come on, don't you trust me?"

Before answering there was a definite pause. "I-well, sure, but still-"

Shifting his weight to one foot lazily, he gave me an encouraging eye roll. "Aw, come on. It's not like I'm asking some huge life-changing question. This will just be for fun!"

"I...don't know. I mean, Korra has practice in a little while... I want to be there." I started my way back up the steps, but at the top Ikki and Jinora quickly slammed the doors. I heard the faint click of a lock and soft giggling on the other side. _Great, thanks guys._ Slowly, _very_ slowly, I turned on my heels and stepped back down. With my head hanging low and hands held out as if in handcuffs, I approached Jaalam again. He smiled in a rather satisfactory manner. "Okay," I said in surrender. "I guess it couldn't hurt to get off the island for a little while – but it's _not_ a date," I added sternly, poking his chest.  
Jaalam just grinned again and held his hands up in victory as soon as my back was turned. "That's good enough for me!"

.

.

.

"So...? What do you think...?" asked Jaalam.

It had taken a while to get where Jaalam wanted to take me. Downtown, near the heart of the city, was where whatever this surprise was located. Once a month the town held a Full Moon Festival, and apparently that night was the "once a month" opportunity. The celebration came into existence about seventy years before, when a young girl, a princess named Yue, had sacrificed herself to save a nation of waterbenders. In another language her name means "moon," and it was on the night of a full moon that she saved them. So came about this festival.

That holiday was sometimes celebrated at home, in the village, but Korra and I were always forbidden to leave the compound every time it came around. The two of us were always stuck in our rooms – or so the sentries thought. Those nights we always sneaked out and sat on the outer wall of the compound to watch the festivities from a distance.

But for once I was getting to see it up close and in person.

"It's...amazing."

And it was. The quaint little shops were lined up side-by-side, streamers of blue and white hung from windows and the rooftops, stretching from one side of the street to the other. Buildings also displayed marvelous paintings of Yue, the moon, water, Water Tribe-like symbols and anything of the sort. Street vendors served authentic Water Tribe foods and desserts and there were booths set up for carnival-like games.

Suddenly I felt nostalgic, and I'm sure Korra did too – even if she didn't know why. "This is really...incredible," I said in awe, letting the sights and sounds of home envelope me.

People with ancestors from all nations gathered together for the festivities. Adults talked and viewed the merchandise while the children ran up and down the streets or played with stuffed Otter-Penguins.

We hadn't been in town for more than a few minutes when I noticed three young girls – no older than five or six – talking quietly to each other and glancing my way. One girl looked like she wanted to come talk to me but was afraid, since her friends starting poking and prodding her forward. The girl in front squirmed and tried to retreat, especially when she saw that I had noticed them. "Hi!" I said gently as I gave them a small wave. "You can come talk to me. I don't bite!" The girls shuffled closer. "Was there something you wanted to ask me?"

"Uh, hi, um... Are you a waterbender?"

To get down to their level I knelt down on my knees. "No, I'm not, but I _am_ from the Southern Water Tribe."

When the girls saw that I was open to their curiosity, all three grinned and squealed with delight. "Oooh! What's it like?!"

"It's cold, _very_ cold, but we use lots of blankets to keep us warm and cozy," I said, taking one girl by the shoulders and rubbing my hands across them quickly to create friction and heat. "It snows a lot, and there are lots of mountains to explore, and Otter-Penguins to ride, and tasty sea prunes to eat!"

Another girl squeezed her stuffed animal lovingly. The other two scrunched up their noses at the sea prunes comment.

"So what are your names?" I asked them.

"I'm Keliah," said one, "and this is my sister Leilana," she pointed to the girl with the stuffed animal, "and our friend Jazhara," she pointed to the other girl.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Katalana."

"I like your name. It's really pretty," said Leilana [lay-LAH-nuh].

"Thank you! You all have pretty names too! Do you want to know what they mean?"

All three girls' eyes lit up. "Do you know? Really?"

"Yes. Actually, all three of your names mean the same thing. They mean 'princess.' Very appropriate for this festival, no?"

A collective gasp followed by giggles escaped from their mouths, which were hanging wide open. Then Keliah [keh-LEE-uh] asked, "Do you know how to braid hair? Like Yue or Katara?"

"I do, actually. Would you like me to show you how?"

"Oh yes please!" They said in unison, bouncing on their toes in excitement.

Quickly, I stood up and turned to Jaalam, who had been standing off to the side, watching our little conversation. I gave him an apologetic look. "You don't mind, do you? It will just take a minute."

"Of course not," he smiled in understanding. "This is your night. Take all the time you need."

I flashed him an appreciative smile and knelt down beside the friends again. "Come on, let's find a place to sit."

So we did. We seated ourselves on the edge of a large fountain. Keliah sat in front of me, Leilana and Jazhara [jaz-HAR-uh] standing at my side. I parted the girl's hair and twisted the sections, crossing them this way and that. Her hair felt soft and cool, like silk, as I ran my fingers through it gently.

Unbeknownst to me, Jaalam was still watching me. He was leaned up against a tea shop nearby, his arms crossed over his chest. A soft smile spread across his lips and he chuckled at the sweet scene taking place before him, but his mind was stirring uncomfortably. _She became my friend quickly enough,_ he thought, _and she can make friends with anyone by the looks of it. But how can I make her believe she wants to be more than a friend? If she doesn't, it'll cost me. I need to be smart about this. This festival seemed to escalate things, if ever so slightly. If I keep this up, maybe there will be no need to worry._ But he knew deep down that there would always be something to worry about. He was in a dangerous business. One that he couldn't get out of, even if things seemed to get as deep for him as they would for me.

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When I finished, Keliah jumped up and ran over to a shop window and admired my handiwork. Jazhara then sat down behind Leilana and started braiding her hair, showing Keliah how I did hers. Only a short time later all three girls had matching hairstyles. Their faces shined as bright as the moon as they all three gathered around and hugged me saying, "Thank you!"

"You are very welcome. You three make very good Water Tribe girls, and maybe even better princesses."

They beamed, thanked me again, and darted away to find their parents.

I sighed as I watched after them, making sure they were safe before I turned around to find Jaalam. Before I sat down I could have sworn I had seen him by that tea shop, but he wasn't there after I finished. Even after scanning the crowd several times over, there was still no sign as to where he could have gone. There were all kinds of people there: tall, short, skinny, wide, waterbenders, firebenders, and so on, but no Jaalam.

A tap on my shoulder caused me to jump. I spun on my heels, and there he stood. He smiled his lopsided smile and held out a single lavender rose. The color in and of itself was gorgeous and resembled the national colors of the Water Tribes, but I could read the symbolism underneath. I wondered if he really knew what his gift meant, or if he just wanted to impress me. _He probably just wants to impress me,_ I told myself sternly, _just because he gives me a rose, that doesn't mean he knows what he's really saying with it._

"I thought this was supposed to be just for fun," I chided as I accepted the rose.

He shrugged, still grinning like a fool, clearly unbothered by my words. I _had_ said that in a teasing tone, though, and I _had_ accepted the present. _I hope I'm not giving him the wrong idea. I was just trying to keep him happy, as I do with most people. Or is that really it?_ I smiled as I twirled the stem in my hand. _Maybe I should just give this up. I don't want to go on pretending forever..._

As I shook my my head to clear it, Jaalam caught my eye. His arm was extended to me in an open gesture, and I rolled my eyes and gave in, sliding my arm through his so that they linked at the elbow. We stayed like this throughout a good portion of the festival, strolling down the cobblestone road. Along the way, we were about to pass a small stage. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but the people upon it were truly impressive. They were two waterbenders, and each one had a large basin of water on either side of him. The performers bended large blobs of it above their heads, passing it back and forth, making it change shape and state. The blobs swirled above them, forming various wavy shapes, animals, and famous people. An audience that had gathered oohed and awed at the marvels that appeared before them. The performers' technique was impeccable, much too perfect to be amateurs. They must have practiced for years.

Before I knew it, the sky was beginning to dim, and a few faint stars flickered in the evening air. The performance had begun to wind down, and crew members began to disassemble the stage. Even with the full moon, the ensuing darkness would make it too dark to see much of the show, especially for the older citizens of the area. Jaalam and I were about to move on when there was a loud explosion, followed by an ear-splitting shriek and another, even louder explosion. The intensity and suddenness of it evoked a scream from me as well as other unsuspecting bystanders. My hands flew up to my ears to block out the horrible sounds, but my eyes were wide open, gazing around the neighborhood for signs of trouble. Nothing seemed to be wrong; everyone nearby seemed to be unaffected or even...excited about the sounds. I turned to Jaalam to see his reaction. It was something between excitement and...something else. My reaction seemed to amuse him, but he was trying very hard to keep the grin off his face. The effort was nice but my temper flared nonetheless. He knew something that I didn't, and he found it funny that whatever-it-was frightened me.

My hands were still over my ears, so all sound was muffled, but I tried screaming over the sounds of crying babies, cheering children, and clapping adults. "What's so-"

The explosions and squeals erupted again, and this time, I identified what made the racket. Far above my head, there was a small oval-ish object zooming across the darkened sky. It seemed as if it would continue on forever, or maybe crash into the mountains way outside of town, but before the arc could make it that far, it exploded into a mass of brilliant, purple sparks.

I pressed my hands tighter against the sides of my head. _Are these explosions dangerous?_ My head whipped around again, scrutinizing the crowd. Only the very young or very old seemed scared or at the very least, displeased. Everyone else stared up, wide-eyed and amazed.

Jaalam took one of my hands and pulled it away from my ear just as another set of detonations sounded. This time the sparks were green. I shook him off and pressed my hands close again, convinced that the sounds would burst my eardrums and the vibrations would rattle my brain out of my skull. I wasn't sure which would have been more painful. Being already sensitive to vibrations, I decided that the latter was worse. Even though I resisted, Jaalam _in_sisted. He waited for a break in the eruptions and then pulled my hand away again. Leaning in close to hear over the crowd, he shouted, "You've -er seen- -ir-ks?"

"What?" I shouted back.

"You've nev- seen fire- before?"

"Fire what?" _Of course I've seen fire before! I've lived in the coldest place on earth and he doesn't think I've seen fire?_

"Fireworks!" he yelled simply. "They're supposed -o be en-taining!"

Nothing he said made any sense to me. I gave him a quizzical look and took a brief moment to remove my other hand and point at the sky questioningly. He nodded yes, then nodded again to direct my attention upwards. Still looking up he said, "Just watch for - -ile."

I was still uncertain, but I obeyed. With both hands over my ears again I stared up at the sky. More blasts, more vibrations, more shrieks. That part was awful. But I had to admit, the effect was beautiful. The way the bursts sprayed in a wide circle, then the embers slowly fading to black. And the colors, what made those colors? There were all kinds: first purple, then green, then red and white and yellow-orange, and sometimes there were combinations of them. And there were different types of fireworks. Some were broad circles, others were more oval, and some made a few extra pops and sparks after the inital blow.

After watching the show for several minutes I relaxed some – just some. For a while, I couldn't bring myself to peel my eyes away from the mysterious flares, but I had a strange feeling that something wasn't right. Though my perception of vibrations was skewed due to the show, I thought I sensed Jaalam stop breathing. His heartbeat quickened as well. At first I was worried. My gaze flickered over to him for a second, to make sure he wasn't hurt, but in that one second I saw all I needed to see. His head was facing skyward, but his eyes were directed solely on me. My heart pounded too, and I prayed that he wasn't an earthbender and that he couldn't tell.

Something brushed against my hand. I tilted my head down to glance at what it was, just in time to see Jaalam's fingers curling up into a tight fist. His heart beat even faster now, thinking he was caught. Looking back up again was all I could do. A few seconds later, I felt it again. Skin to skin contact, his fingers just barely touching mine. My gaze shifted down again. He froze. I stared at our hands for a long time, trying to decide whether or not to let him take my hand. After a brief moment of hesitation, I finally gave in and clasped his hand, letting our fingers slide through each others' like pieces to a puzzle. Surprised, Jaalam turned his whole head to look me square in the face. I felt my cheeks grow warm. Instinctively I ignored him and kept my gaze focused on the sky but again I could feel my cheeks burning fiercely. He turned his whole body to face me and slowly he lifted his free hand and cupped it around my chin. Then he gently turned my head so he could look into my eyes. He moved that same hand across my cheek, pulling back a loose strand of my hair. Then, slowly, he leaned in close, _too close_, I thought at the time. But it was too late. He pressed his lips upon mine, and we kissed.

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Kat: Told you it was a weird chapter. I feel like there are some things I need to explain...

First off: 1st Airbending lesson, everyone got Katalana's part in that right? If not it's okay. Again, it'll be SO much more obvious in time.

2nd: This Mako's got moxy! So one of the bending brother's names was mentioned! Yay! (Sorry, huge Makorra fan here.)

3rd: Eye color change. Again, HINT HINT! (As if you guys still didn't get it, though!) ;)

4th: 2nd airbending lesson...this was the weird part. It didn't strike me as perfect either, I know, but it had to be done. I don't mean to offend anyone by changing this, but I take my beliefs very seriously and I won't compromise them in order to get more followers 'cause honestly, as much fun as popularity is, that's not what matters in the long run.

5th: The kitchen scene. It struck me as more of a filler chapter, but it actually did have a point to it. I wanted to better the friendship between Katalana &amp; Jinora since she'll be an important character later on - aka Book 2.

6th: The festival. You guys prob coulda guessed that I'd have something in K&amp;K for Yue! Love her! But this scene also played with my strange obsession with hidden meanings - names, phrases, colors, flowers, etc.

...Names: So in the chapter I already explained Yue &amp; the three lil princesses, but fun fact: Suki also means "moon!" So Sokka liked/kissed/dated/whatever two girls named "moon!" Also... I prooooobably shoulda mentioned this earlier, but I may have forgotten to mention that Jaalam [JAY-lum] = hidden! Ack!

...Floriology (the study of flowers)/Floriography (the language of flowers) has become an odd interest of mine in the past year or two and I thought it'd be cool to include some here. In the story I made it so that Katalana actually had studied it extensively when she was schooled in the compound - they weren't only taught combat skills! Anyway, the single lavender rose had 3 hidden meanings in it. Roses obviously are a symbol for love/romance, but the color &amp; number of flowers can be just as significant as the type of flower. The color of rose that I had in mind for Jaalam to give Katalana was actually more of a blue-ish lavender color, but for creativity's sake, I didn't phrase it like that, but not only is that color GORGEOUS, it combines the meanings of the two colors. "Blue flowers can represent an open mind, youth, an overall feeling of peacefulness, truth and serenity. Lavender flowers are a representation of adult or grown-up femininity. They are a symbol of grace, elegance, refinement, preciousness and delicateness," (from a website called The Secret Language of Flowers) which is how I try to portray Katalana as best I can. Depending on the color, a single rose can say a lot as well. Lav = "I am enchanted by you" &amp; blue = "You seem like an unattainable dream." So...yeah. I feel really super girly when I talk about stuff like this ('cause I am not girly AT ALL) but when it comes to fiction I am a hopeless romantic. Honestly idk what Jaalam intended for his gift to mean, but I think he originally chose this rose because 1) roses=romance, 2) lav=close to Water Tribe colors=making Katalana feel at home, 3) he's not exactly rich &amp; couldn't afford a whole bouquet of flowers. But I also think he secretly knew that his gift meant more than what met the eye! ;)

7th: Fireworks! Okay, I know that fireworks were invented LONG before the 1920's, but Katalana's ignorance &amp; discomfort made for a good scene!

8th: AAACK! They kissed! I'm so torn w/ this part. My BFF read this part back in 2014 &amp; felt the same way - she STILL freaks out about it. She now calls this ship "Katamatokam" [kat-uh-muh-TOW-kum] b/c she wants Katalana to be with both Matokka &amp; Jaalam even though there are complications with both ships. This is a freaky love triangle, &amp; it gets even crazier later on, but I hope this is part of what keeps y'all reading!

9th: SORRY this is such a long author's note, but if you're curious to learn more about hidden meanings or floriology or anything, feel free to message me! I'm here!

10th: FIIIIINAAAAALLYYYYY I can post this. Took me 4 tries just to get the author's note to save 'cause my laptop kept glitching on me. *sigh* Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed this chapter &amp; the many to come! Thanks for reading! :D


	11. Chapter 11

Kat: Heeeey! It's sooooo good to be back! Summer was crazy, school IS crazy, and life never slows down. Actually I finished this chapter AGES ago, like a day or two after my last post, but unfortunately I never got a chance to upload it. So...yeah. Thanksgiving Break now &amp; finally got A MOMENT to show it to you! So here it is! (Finally!) Hope y'all enjoy the continuation of Katalana's journey in Republic City! :D

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_What are you doing?!_ I wanted to scream at myself. _This isn't right! You're engaged! But...are you _still_ engaged? Or is _this_ the person I'm engaged _to_? If it is, then...this can't be wrong... Can it?_

Except...at that moment...it was hard to tell...and almost as hard to care. The kiss I shared with whomever was with me...it was too incredible to stop. Plus I had to admit something to myself. _I honestly _do_ like Jaalam. Sure, I haven't known him as long as I did Matokka, but if Matokka is truly gone, then...shouldn't I have another chance?_

Both my thoughts and the kiss were interrupted by tumultuous bellows, but they weren't the same firework cracklings that we heard earlier. Instead, they were deep, throaty, mechanical roars. Jaalam and I seperated just in time to see half a dozen motorcycles speed down the street, crashing through kiosks and spreading chaos. They were getting close.

"Get down!" Jaalam shouted over the growling motors.

We had just a fraction of a second to clamber out of the way before they clawed their way nearer. Jaalam dove to the side while I was shoved into a grimy alleyway, losing my footing and landing in a grimey puddle with a disgusting splat.

_Better dirty than dead,_ I thought morbidly.

Not wanting to miss the action, I scrambled to my knees and peeked around the edge of the building. From my hiding spot I watched the hoodlums leap from their bikes and begin attacking innocent bystanders. People scattered, fleeing in all directions. There was so much chaos it was hard to get a good look at the attackers, but from what I could tell they were all dressed alike. They were covered head-to-toe in rather ominous-looking suits – for both physcial and identity protection, I surmised. They were dark, but between the dimness of the alleyway and the streaks of colorful party clothes racing by, it was hard to tell if the suits were a smokey gray, simply black, or a strange olive green hue. The suits were layered, all a thick, elastic-like material with accents in a scarlet red cloth that stood out on their arms and around their waists and necks. Heavy duty socks were pulled up to their knees, but again the trickery of the light camoflauged exactly where their shoes ended and their socks began. Their faces were covered in masks not unlike the material of which the suits were made: dark, thick, stretchy, only the masks were cut to conform to their heads, with holes left for the eyes and mouth. But their eyes were not visible either. Whatever color eyes they had, no one could tell, for over the masks they wore curious goggles with golden rims and lenses bright green in color, and they glowed.

I gasped and stumbled backwards when two men fell at my feet, taken down by the crooks. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to still be coherant and I breathed a deep sigh of relief. But their troubles weren't over. They explained that after they were hit their limbs were useless. Knowing I couldn't just leave them there, I silently got to my feet and carefully pulled them further down the alley, out of the way of the struggle. It was a difficult and tiring job, as they were at least a head taller than me and over twice my weight, so while I put extra effort towards easing their pain, it felt more like I was half-carrying, half-dragging the men through the stinking muck. They smiled weakly in thanks before nodding for me to go help the others.

Of course I didn't want to leave them so vulnerable, but they insisted, and deep down I knew they were right. There were plenty of people out on the streets that were at a much higher risk. Urgently I crept back toward the edge of the building and peeked around its crooked corner.

The felons lunged at innocent people, who were still running around like mad trying to escape, only to be blocked by more of those strange, masked men. I noticed that some of them had strange weapons, and that others didn't. Those that did swung long bola cords with weights on both ends. The men without weapons seemed almost as dangerous – if not more so – than those with them. They flipped and jumped and charged at the people, aiming their attacks swiftly and with unimaginable precision. After a minute or two more of observation I noticed that their punches were typically applied with their fingers and knuckles, particularly along the backs of their victims' legs and the sides of their arms. Some even went up the spine and some went for that pressure point on the neck. Everywhere there was panic. People dropped like Bumble-Flies.

Benders took charge in order to fight off the criminals, hosing them down or throwing them off balance or shooting fireballs to keep them at bay. During the confusion Jaalam had disappeared, but I tried to ignore that as I charged forward to join the skirmish. One man came at me, his green goggles glowing menacingly. He whipped out two weapons that I hadn't seen any of the others using. They were long, metal rods, and after a quick flip of a switch, they sizzled and lit up. Brilliant blue electricity crackled throughout the stick – a Kali stick, as I'd read they were called. But reading about them was very much different to seeing them in reality. The attacker swung one arm and the Kali stick buzzed as it sliced the air a mere hair's length away from my face. While his arm was out and exposed, I reached up and caught it, and with one swift swipe, I knocked his weapon to the ground several feet away. Before he could grab for it I twisted his arm over his head and behind his back. His face seized up in pain before I released and kicked him to the ground. Seeing his comrade down, another crook rushed toward me, fists prepared to fly. I threw my hands out, palms down, causing the earth beneath him to tremble. My goal was to knock him off of his feet, but he used one foot to push off the stump, flip over it, and land safely away. His trick only aggravated me more, of course, so I thrust my right arm up and to the left to create a thick slab of concrete. The earth shot up and slammed into his chest, forcing his back up against the stone wall. As he reeled from the impact, I took that opportunity to bend the stones of the wall into thick cuffs around his chest and limbs to keep him from escaping. When I spun around to rejoin the fray it shocked me to see that the streets were finally starting to clear. Most citizens fled, but any and all of those who remained were still sentient, but laid wounded or paralyzed in the streets. Some masked men had fallen, but those who were still conscious were picking up the limp bodies of benders they had taken down and were loading them into the back of a large truck. Quickly I trapped the other fallen fiends to ensure their later arrest, but there were too many others for me to fight off alone. Only having one choice remaining, I turned and ran.

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"Lieutenant!" the apprentice roared back at the hideout. He stormed down the dark halls toward the holding cells, his voice echoing loudly down the corridor. He felt ready to beat him to a pulp. Unfortunately for him there were two flaws in actually going through with his plan: one, the lieutenant was stronger than him and had two very powerful weapons. And two, Lieutenant was second in command only to Amon, who would surely do something far worse than his mentor.

The lieutenant had just unloaded the last of the benders into a cell, kicking them if they didn't walk fast enough. He turned his attention to the boy, who was breathing heavily and had a death glare locked on him. The lieutenant just rolled his eyes at his pent up fury that was rather uncalled for, in his opinion.

"What on earth did you think you were doing back there?" he demanded, throwing one hand out and the other pointed at his mentor's chest as if it was an arrow aimed for his heart.

Completely unbothered by his rage, Lieutenant simply pulled off his gloves, one finger at a time. "Apprentice, if you wanna pick a fight with me you should really make it clear what you want to fight about."

"At the festival," the boy explained as sweat dripped from his hairline. "You and the others full-on attacked the people at that festival. I was there _at_ _that very moment_, doing what _you_ instructed me to do! I almost had her, and then you-you-you just barge in there! You ruined everything!"

"Hmph," he snorted, not particularly concerned with the accusation. "You sure 'bout that?"

Apprentice opened his mouth to reply, then snapped it shut, perplexed by the question.

"Did you _see_ her after the attack? She wasn't captured, that much I can guarantee."

The underlying sneer in his leader's tone messed with his temper, but he remained silent.

"Find her. If you had done that before marching in here to pick a fight with me, you would know if the attack drove her away from you or if it brought her closer to you."

Anger surged through the apprentice's veins. His gloves squeaked as his fingers curled into tight fists. It was unclear whether he was more outraged at the lieutenant for dive-bombing on his plans or for his own lack of understanding of whatever Lieutenant was getting at. "What?"

Rolling his eyes in boredom, his mentor continued. "Since you're _obviously_ not getting this, let me spell it out for you." He paused, taking a moment to pull off his goggles with a satisfying snap, then he clapped the gloves and goggles into his free hand. "The girl's intrested, something goes wrong, and either she runs away never to be seen again or she turns to the people she trusts most and bing-bang-boom, you're in."

This revelation made him more confused and suspicious than ever. "And just how do you know all of this?"

The lieutenant rolled his eyes for the millionth time. "I'm surprised you _didn't _know. I thought you were smarter than you're proving yourself to be."

"That was a pretty big risk you just took, there," he growled, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Lieutenant shrugged. "What's done is done. But now you see that I did my part: providing the tragedy. Now it's your turn. You want in? Then go find her already! Let's just see if this girl is as strong as she thinks she is..."

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After escaping the skirmish I tore off down the abandoned streets as fast and as far as my body was physically capable. My breath came in short and shallow gasps, my heart raced – and not in a good way – and my whole body shook uncontrolably. Sweat poured down my neck and back – mixing uncomfortably with that slime I collected in the alley – and my hair clung in wet clumps against my face. When I was sure I could run no more, I dared to slow to a walk. The street was dark, deserted, and clouds covered the moon. My lungs burned fiercely and tears stung my eyes. I hugged my middle tightly, trying to piece together what just happened.

"Katalana!" someone shouted.

I stopped upon hearing my name. _Who could possibly be out here at this time of night?_ I wondered. Standing frozen under a street light, my earthbending picked up footsteps rushing towards me. Recognizing the voice and gait I called out to him. "Jaalam?"

Sure enough Jaalam emerged from the shadows and jogged over to me, very out of breath. "I'm so glad you're alright!" He embraced me tightly before remembering we both needed to breathe.

As he stepped back I took his hands and squeezed them reassuringly. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" His eyes were damp from running in the crisp late night air, making them sparkle blue-black in the unnatural glow of the street lamp.

"Yes, just a little winded," I answered, exhaling heavily, then inhaling just as so. "Are _you_ okay? I couldn't find you in all the- Oh, I just got you all wet." I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly, glancing down at my dress all tattered and soiled from that night's action. "I was shoved into an alleyway and, well, this was the result."

Jaalam chuckled softly. "Yeah, I'm okay. Nothin' here that can't be washed."

Sighing, he slid his palm across my cheek comfortingly and I placed my hand over his. It was sweet, but as he did that, a confusing thought came to mind. "How did you find me?"

"When all that trouble erupted everyone scattered. Once things settled down I backtracked to where the festival was and tried to find you. When I couldn't, I figured you'd have gone home. I was just headed that way to make sure you were safe."

I smiled gratefully. "I wouldn't have left you behind. There were just so many of them...I was going to head back when I thought they'd gone. But, there's still one thing that bothers me – well, there are multiple things actually, but there's one main question I want answered: who _were_ those guys?"

Jaalam grimaced as if he had a bitter taste in his mouth. "Equalists, also known as Desensitizers and Dominators. They are extremists, radicals that support Amon and his Anti-bending cause. They tend to work more as his henchman than his political supporters."

"Amon?" I asked. That name sounded familiar. "You mean that creepy guy with the mask?"

"Yeah, that's him. He and his cronies use a type of punching technique on people's pressure points, numbing their limbs so that they can't bend – at least temporarily."

My eyes widened as his information sunk in. "So that must be why so many of those benders at the festival were helpless against them."

"Right," he nodded gravely.

"Sounds like they learned a thing or two about Ty Lee," I observed.

He nodded. "Maybe."

"That's scary."

"I agree."

A sudden gust of wind slipped past us and I couldn't help but shudder.

"Let me walk you home."

I said nothing. And I didn't resist him when he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and led me to the docs. There we parted ways. "I promise I'll come see you tomorrow."

"Alright. Goodnight." Quickly I stood up on my toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before I disappeared aboard the ferry.

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"So? Any progress?"

"Yes sir."

"Care to elaborate?"

"I've got her wrapped around my finger."

"Does she suspect?"

"Not a clue," he chuckled darkly, satisfied with himself. "Let me tell you, she is _so_ intelligent, yet _incredibly_ ignorant! She knew nothing about us or this revolution until I told her, and she never even questioned me about how I acquired the information. It's just a matter of time before the plan can take full effect."

"Don't get cocky. That's for Amon to decide. You've been given a huge opportunity and you have a responsibility to do your job right. _Don't blow it_!"

"Lieutenant, I've got this under control."

"Famous last words," he scoffed. "Stop treating this like a joke. And it's high time you started respecting your superiors!"

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It was long after midnight by the time I arrived at the Air Temple for the evening. When I shuffled into our room, Korra was standing between the beds, and from her dour expression and ticking time bomb of a mouth, I could tell she was far more than ready to blow up at me. "Where were you?" she demanded. "You missed practice! You _never_ miss practice! _Never_! We waited for you for over an _hour_!"

After such a long night, I wasn't really in the mood for talking. My mind was numb with everything that had occurred that day. "I was out."

Korra scowled. "You weren't just 'out.' I could feel _every one_ of your emotions – which you had _a lot_ of tonight, by the way. Where _were_ you?"

"I was out with Jaalam. He took me to a little festival downtown."

"Waaaiiit," she drawled. Her anger dissapated like a breath of air. "You were out with _Jaalam_? On a _date_?!" Her tone suddenly rose an octave.

_Sigh, here comes the 'girly' Korra – or as girly as Korra can get._

With a slightly exaggerated yawn, I tried to evade her questioning. "Well...not exactly. We hadn't intended for it to be one..."

"But...?" she pressed. She plopped down on my bed, laid her elbows on her knees and her chin in her palms, expecting me to dig deep and divulge the grueling details of my evening.

"It was."

Bracing myself for the ensuing girlish squeal, I cringed, but I supposed that Girly Korra was better than Angry Korra, so I tried to relax.

"Katalana! I'm so happy for you! Tell me everything that happened!"

"It was...nice. Really, I had amazing time." I sighed in wonder, temporarily forgetting about the Equalists. "It was a festival celebrating Yue's sacrifice. They had decorations and art and performers and food. They set off these bright, colorful explosions too. I think Jaalam called them...fireworks? I don't remember exactly, but it was absolutely...amazing..." I trailed off, dropping my last word like gravity dragged it right out of my mouth.

Korra saw me frown. "What?"

"During the fireworks Desensitizers attacked."

"Desensitizers?"

I nodded. "They're also called Dominators. They work for Amon – the leader of the Equalists. He was the masked guy on the poster we saw behind that protestor you harassed on our first day in town."

"I did not 'harass' him," she countered defensively. As if she were a pouting child, she straightened her spine, crossed her arms, and jutted out her chin. "I was debating with him."

"I still think you harassed him, but that's beside the point. I saw what those men can do. They captured dozens of people, and injured or terrified dozens more. As both your sister and a concerned citizen of the United Republic, I am telling you that these guys _have_ to be stopped."

She nodded firmly. "I believe you. It's late now so we'll have to talk to Tenzin about it in the morning." She added mentally, _"Man, you get to have all the fun."_

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, slightly offended.

"Never mind. Continue."

"Alright." I shoved my feelings aside and changed the subject. "So how was training?"

"Even worse than last time. I think it's because you weren't there."

"You're blaming _me_?"

Her expression shifted into one of guilty thought. "Yes and no."

"Meaning...?"

"Yes, because you should have been there. Our bending is stronger when we're together. And not only that, but you always give me moral support, or a little sarcasm to rile me up and become determined to get it right. Plus, you're _crazed emotions_ got me all out of whack." She threw her hands up and shook them around in exaggerated waves to illustrate her point. When she finished, she let them drop heaviliy back into her lap. "But I say no because you're _my twin_; you're _not me_. You're not the airbender; you don't need to be at every practice – or _any_ practice really. You have the right to live your own life. To go have some fun."

I snorted in a thankful sort of way. "In that case, I _am_ sorry – and thank you. I'll be at your next lesson, and hopefully every lesson after that."

"It's fine – and you're welcome." Her smile faded into a gaping yawn, causing me to catch one as well.

"Yeah, me too," I agreed to her silent sign that we were both exhausted. "We'll talk more tomorrow."

I didn't have to tell her twice. She scooted off the edge of my bed and immediately plopped down on hers without even bothering to change clothes. Within minutes there was snoring coming from across the room. Meanwhile, I walked over to the dresser and took down my hair. To keep it tame I picked up the brush, then I changed my mind and set it back down. Gingerly I pulled down the collar of my dress, revealing my betrothal necklace. I twisted my lips to the side.

_It's been over a year,_ I told myself sternly. _It's time to let go and move on._

Even as I thought that, I knew I didn't fully want to. But finally, I decided to agree with Korra, my parents, Makita, and my own right mind.

_It's time._

Carefully I untied the necklace, then held it in my hand for what felt like ages. When my tears began to blur the stone into a puddle of blue, I brought it up to my lips and kissed it softly, then placed it gently on the smooth wooden dresser.

_You will always be in my heart._

A single, lonely tear traced down my cheek as I whispered softly, finally, "Goodbye, Matokka."

.

.

.

"Hey, Katalana," Korra said the next morning as she joined me at the breakfast table.

"Morning, Korra," I greeted her between bites of my biscuit. I was reading the morning paper when one section caught my eye. It read, "_Fourteen Dominators were arrested with the help of an unknown heroine who witnesses assume has had former training in combat. Spectators on site reported seeing a pretty young lady in Water Tribe garb quickly and skillfully take down two crooks before capturing the rest of the fallen with earthen cuffs around their wrists, ankles, and chest before she fled the scene. She had not been seen since. Who is this mysterious beauty and where has she gone?_"

I read this aloud to Korra. We both had to admit it was pretty cheesy, but Korra – only half kidding – had to make a sarcastic remark. "Oh sure, when _you_ help, you get a congratulations from the city and an article in the paper, but when _I_ help, I get arrested and then confined to this fun-crushing island!"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please, you're the Avatar. You'll get plenty more thanks in one day than I will in a lifetime." She smirked at my comment, then leaned across the table and snatched the paper from my hands. "Sure, go right ahead!" I teased, waving her on. "I was done anyway. What are you looking for?"

"The sports section."

"Are you still on that Pro-Bending kick? You know Tenzin doesn't want you paying any attention to that."

"What he doesn't know won't kill him." She waved away my warning as she deeply engrossed herself with the written match. Her eyes sped back and forth down the sheets, fascinated by the complexity of the game. But of course, who of all people walked up behind her at that moment but the master airbender himself. My sudden alarm alerted Korra, who, knowing she was caught, looked up sheepishly. "Hey...Tenzin."

Tenzin's face was as expressionless as usual, and he simply held out his hand. Unwillingly, Korra rolled up the paper and slapped it into his palm. As soon as he walked off, a mischievous smile crept across Korra's face. _"That's alright, I stashed another one in our room earlier. I've already read it twice."_

_"__You're obsessed."_

_"__Maybe a little."_

_"__A little?"_

_"__Okay, a lot."_

Laughing, I changed the subject. "I'll catch up with you later, okay? Jaalam promised he'd stop by again today."

Korra raised her eyebrows and smiled in a you've-got-to-tell-me-all-about-it-later kind of way. I rolled my eyes before I pushed myself away from the table and headed for the front door.

And to the surprise of us both, I opened the door as soon as Jaalam had lifted his fist to knock. His eyes were round, his eyebrows raised, when I stood suddenly before him. We both laughed. "Perfect timing," he joked.

"Very funny. Come on in." Quickly I stepped aside for him to enter.

"So, I begin with that famous question," he said after I led him to the living room and sat us down on the couch. "How are you?"

"Better. You?"

"Alright. I'm just glad you're doing well, considering what happened."

"Thanks. I'm glad you're okay too. Oh!" I exclaimed suddenly and excitedly. "Did you see this morning's paper?"

"Yeah," he said, perhaps a little too forcefully.

_Well that's odd,_ I thought. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"I'll admit, whoever that girl is, she has some incredible skills."

"Yeah..."

_Okay, so he doesn't know. No big deal. He'll figure it out soon enough, right?_

"I was thinking about going downtown again today, just to get a better feel for how things work around here. Would you like to come?"

Jaalam raised a curious brow at me. I could see the gears turning in his head but what they were turning about was a mystery to me. "Are you sure you want to? I mean, after last night..."

"Oh, it'll take more than one botched date to keep me out of town."

"Do I hear an implied question in that statement?"

"I don't know. What do you think?" I asked coyly.

"Ah, now I knew there was a reason I liked you!"

My cheeks began to tingle as they turned a rosy hue. Feeling silly, I avoided looking away from him but I also avoided look directly at him. "You never answered my original question."

"So you admit it, then?"

"I have said nothing. Assume what you will but don't you dare put words in my mouth. Now, an answer...?"

"Alright, alright. Honestly I would love to go with you, but unfortunately for us I have to work today. The shop is in town, though." He perked up as an idea hit him. "Hey, why don't you come with me? Let me show you around? I still haven't given you that grand tour I promised on your first day here."

"I can't believe you even remembered offering."

"It's hard to forget something I offer only to those I want to impress."

I grinned. "Well in that case, sure. That'd be nice."

A short ferry ride and a long walk later, we were back in town. The area he took me to seemed vaguely familiar – and rightly so. It was where I had met Jaalam after all. We passed by familiar, everyday shops and familiar, everyday people. None too flashy and none too shabby either. Jaalam led me down the thick cobblestone path before stopping me in front of one of the smaller shops along the strip. He held his hands out as if to tell me to stay, then he raised them over his head and proclaimed, "Here we are! Work, sweet work!"

"You work at a...pottery studio?" I asked, stepping into the quaint little shop. My excitement grew as I took a look around. The walls were a grayish-brown color, but that only set off the brilliant colors of the merchandise. Brightly painted plates, bowls, and vases lined the walls and shelves. Each one was individually hand crafted. All original. No two exactly alike – even matching sets were strangely unique.

"Yeah, it's a great place," Jaalam continued. "I enjoy working with my hands. It's a long and quiet process, but it's all worth it in the end."

The deep purple glaze of an ice cream bowl felt smooth and glossy under my fingertips. I had to admit that they weren't the most skillfully crafted pieces ever, as most of them had odd lumps or dips or an uneven glaze, but there was a certain quality to them that made them feel more homey. "You made these? They're amazing!"

Jaalam sat down at one of the potter's stools and set his hands on his thighs to admire his own work. "Sure did. I'm no master craftsman, but it's a fun job and the money is good. Even so, it gets pretty quiet a lot of the time, and lonely. There's me and the boss, Mr. Koto, and he lingers around some, but he's a busy guy and has to run a lot of errands and such. And I have another co-worker, Jep, but he hasn't shown up here for weeks, maybe months. The boss and I keep hoping he'll pop in one of these days, but it's not likely he will. So for the most part it's just me and the clay."

"Hmm," I hummed, nodding in sympathy, coming over to stand beside him. It didn't occur to me at the time he had said a phrase not unlike one Matokka expressed way back when. "Mr. Koto hasn't thought of hiring someone else?"

"Can't hire a new until he fires the old," he answered simply. Then he cocked a brow at me teasingly. "But..." he continued, stretching out his vowel. He grinned as the idea sprung into his head. "I'm sure that can be arranged..." He childishly poked me in the side.

I swatted his hand away playfully. "Stop that!" It took me a moment to let his suggestion sink in. To emphasize my refusal I waved both my hands rigorously. "Oh, no. No no, no, no, no, no. I couldn't." Even as I declined I smiled as if I liked the idea.

Noticing my obviously pleased reaction, he totally ignored my recurring refusal. "Oh come on. This place isn't very big, but it gets a pretty decent crowd in here at times. I could definitely use an extra hand or two."

"I don't know..." I began thoughtfully. "I've never thought about getting a job. There's never been any need for me to."

Jaalam hummed in what I assumed was understanding, then he raised his eyebrows as he waited for a true answer. "So...? Would you at least consider it?"

Heaving a submissive sigh, I answered, "Me, yes. I think it sounds fun. It could certainly expand my working knowledge of the big city. My only concern is Tenzin; I might have to work with _him_ to get him to let me work _here_."

"Great!" he said. With how giddy his reaction was, it was almost as if I gave him a definite yes. "Do you want me to show you the ropes?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

"Cool. First, I'll show you the storage room. Non-employees aren't technically allowed in here, but since you are a _potential_ employee, I think Mr. Koto would make an exception."

"Are you sure you even have the _ability_ to hire me? Wouldn't that be Mr. Koto's job?"

He shrugged. "Technically, probably yes, but he hasn't exactly named anyone as assistant manager, and since Jep never shows, I don't think there's any other qualified candidate."

Seeing no flaw in his logic, I followed him behind the counter. He dug around in his pocket, pulled out a key, and inserted it into the lock. He turned it to the left, pulled it out, and opened the door. Inside was a rather cramped storeroom with barely enough room for two people to squeeze down the isle – forcing me to line up behind Jaalam. Shelves lined the sides walls and there was a hanging cabinet in back. To the left were large rectangular blocks of plastic-wrapped clay and tin cans that held various carving tools. To the right were paints, brushes, sponges, and glass jars for water. The cabinets along the side walls were unlocked, but Jaalam explained that each employee had one for their personal belongings while in the shop. The cabinet along the back wall was locked, and when I asked about it, he said that Mr. Koto had specifically ordered him not to touch it. At the end and to the right was a door to the kiln room. Opposite the door was a bin filled to the brim with broken ceramic pieces in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Jaalam said that was recycled material for mosaics and other special projects. Anyway, Jaalam picked up one slab of clay and set it down on the counter. He unwrapped the plastic and used a wire with two wooden handles to cut off two good-sized chunks. He then wrapped them both in paper towels before acquiring a few other tools and carrying them to the pedestals in the studio. Quickly, he went back to lock the door, then sat down at one of the stools and motioned for me to sit at the one beside him. After unwrapping one of the slabs of clay and setting it on my tray, he showed me how to prepare it. He stood up, picked up the clay, then slammed it down on the table. It landed with a loud sound, somewhere between a thump and a smack.

I jumped, startled.

Smiling, he explained, "You have to pound the clay before you start working with it or else little air bubbles inside of it will cause the dish to crack or even explode when it's put in the kiln."

I settled back in my seat and raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Good to know!"

"Now I'll show you how to work the table itself. There's a small pedal under the desk that you can pump with your foot. That will make the table spin so you can actually make the...whatever it is you want to make." He went through the whole process step by step, demonstrating as he talked. When he was done, he had a crudely sculpted pot. It was short and wide with a skinny lip. It was simple and undecorated, and it was gorgeous.

All I could manage to say was "Wow."

"Now you try."

"Me? But-but I don't even-"

"What's the harm? The whole point of this was to show you how to do it yourself. Why not have a little practice run?"

"Um...okay..." I said uncertainly as I rose from my seat. Once standing, I lifted the clay and pounded the block until it was pliable, then repeatedly pumped my foot to turn the table. It was slow going, but eventually I got the hang of it. Simultaniously pumping the pedal and working with my hands took some practice. My hands smoothed out the thick, slimy mud, carefully shaping the vase. I shrunk the bottom down some and kept it wider in the mid to upper portion, then sharply curved it in, then back out for a wide, almost flower-like lip. Sculpting was fun, I decided, and even moreso because there was one thing about this that I restrained myself from using: earthbending. This was not the product of my power. This was all me.

Jaalam watched me intently. Every now and then he would make odd little hums to try to get me to pay attention to something without actually saying anything. He didn't have to that often, though. For the most part he was pretty quiet. When I finished, he just sat back in awe.

"Wow...just...wow. That is probably the best first-time-job I've ever seen. Probably _the_ best I've ever seen – no matter what the skill level!"

I turned my head aside as if to stare at some of his finished work along the wall, secretly hiding a blush that crept over my cheeks. "Thanks. I've always had a thing for earth."

"You're telling me!" he exclaimed. "Are you sure you've never done this before?"

Giggling, I gave him an only somewhat-convincing yes.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" I promised, a little more forcefully, but not angrily.

Jaalam only shook his head in disbelief. Somehow he didn't seem to be able to fathom the talent he saw in me. His eyes scanned me over, head to toe, then he shifted his gaze to my vase, then back at me.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He let out an amused breath through his nose. "You're amazing!"

That wasn't a very persuasive answer. "Why do I get the feeling that you're not just talking about my handiwork?"

"'Cause I'm not," he replied softly. Suddenly I picked up his soft but quickening heartbeat through the vibrations in the floor. The stools on which we sat were close enough that he could lean over and kiss me – and that was just what he did. It was slow and sweet and thrilling all at the same time. It wasn't as if I had been kissed many times before, but it seemed to me that he was pretty good at it.

When we parted, we both sat back and smiled. I sighed, regretting my next move. "Thank you, Jaalam, for the lesson. I really enjoyed it."

He smiled at my appreciation but quickly gave in to curiosity and concern. "Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?"

"'Cause I am," I laughed, impersonating him. "For now, anyway. Korra's got practice soon and I don't want to miss again, so I'd better go."

"Must you?" he asked in an overly dramatic pleading voice.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "You are such a dork. And unfortunately for us, yes."

"Alright, I won't hold you back. But don't forget to talk to Tenzin when you see him, okay?"

"I won't forget."

He reached up and tucked some loose hairs behind my ear. In doing so his fingers left behind a wet streak fo clay, but I decided to ignore it. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

That blush crept up on me again. "I'd sure like to believe it, but I find it a tad vain to think on my own appearance too much," I teased. Before I left I glanced around the room again. My work station was pretty tidy, but it was still fairly muddy. "I'll help you clean up first."

"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal."

"You sure? It wouldn't take very-"

"Nah, you have somewhere to be. I'll take care of it."

"Well...if you insist. See you later, okay?"

"Sure thing. Bye!"

I so desperately wanted to stay, but I forced myself to walk out to door, but not without looking back to say goodbye.

A clock tower chimed a few blocks down. Eleven thirty. I actually had more time than I thought, but I'd already said goodbye so it would have been awkward to go back inside.

_Oh well, I can still explore a little by myself._

Curious, I retraced my steps from the night before until I reached the location of the festival. People of all nations were gathered in the streets: stacking chairs, sweeping up confetti, and tearing down the last of the streamers. I strolled down the cobblestone path, avoiding the workers, passing the fountain, the tea shop, and the place where the stage had been. It was there that I stumbled upon the same spot where Jaalam kissed me, and where the Equalists attacked. The memory of them stormed through my mind: the dark disguises, the glowing green goggles, the particular paralyzing punches. I shook my head to clear it, dispelling the nightmare, when something caught my eye. Glancing down, I noticed a thin, greenish stem and several trampled, withered petals threatening to fall if ever touched. Gingerly picking up the flower, I realized that it was mine. It was the lavender rose that Jaalam had given me. I twirled it between my fingers. I sniffed; there was still a lingering sweetness about it. Tucking it into my sleeve, I continued on my way.

Someone gasped loudly a ways to my left. "The Avatar!"

Confused, I looked around for Korra. It was only when an older woman toddled over to me that I realized that she was the owner of the voice – and that she was referring to me. "Oh, I'm not-"

Before I could finish my sentence, a chorus of other voices chimed in, and a few others gathered around me, awestruck. For a moment I wondered how they knew what the Avatar looked like, although there was that introduction that Korra gave on her first day in town. Some of them must have been there. Then I reasoned that they hadn't noticed me at the festival because they were too absorbed in their own activities to pay much attention, or fleeing for their lives. Either way.

"Avatar, Avatar!" they called. "Would you mind talking with us a while?"

"Well, uh... I suppose I have a little time. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have," I answered, sounding more certain than I felt.

"What's your name?" someone asked.

_Katalana,_ I wanted to say, but Katara's words rang in my ears. _"...Always be on your guard... Choose carefully who you are seen by... You're faces are recognizable, and that is a dangerous blessing. Be safe..."_ The warning echoed over and over in my mind. These were innocent people. Surely it was alright if I told them my real name? It couldn't really be that dangerous...could it?

The middle-aged woman who asked for my name gazed at me patiently. I realized I'd just been standing there, staring blankly at her. She repeated her question to make sure I was awake.

"Oh, sorry. My name is Korra."

_Better safe than sorry._

"Korra," she mused. "What a lovely name. How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"That seems pretty young to take on the Avatar's responsibilities."

"I'm young, but capable. Besides, Aang was only twelve when he entered and won the 100 Year War."

The woman nodded thoughtfully while a man standing to her right piped up roughly. "Actually Aang was 112 at the time."

_Oh great, the infamous debate, _I thought to myself. Trying to keep my voice level I decided to take a sweeter approach. "_Technically_, yes, he was 112, but both physically and mentally he was still just a kid."

An older woman further back in the crowd craned her neck to try to see me better, then shuffled forward when the group made a tight pathway for her. She came close and waved her hand for me to lean down. Obediantly I did so. "What do you plan to do about the, uh...current situation?"

"The...current situation?" I asked. "You mean the Equalist attacks?"

She nodded gravely.

"Well, I do plan to deal with this as peacefully as possible. I am still young and in training, but if a time ever comes when I will need to take...stronger measures to ensure the safety of you all, then I will do whatever I can to help."

My answer must have pleased her because her eyes sparkled. "Thank you. We are so glad that you have come here and we thank you for everything you have done for us already. Our minds can now be at ease knowing there is someone protecting us against this threat."

Others around us murmured in agreement.

"I am honored."

That woman and many other curious passers by approached and asked their questions, and I tried to answer all of them as Korra would, without damaging her still unstable reputation, and with as much certainty as I could muster.

Again, it seemed as if hours passed, and apparently they had. Everyone jumped when the clock tower chimed in the distance. _One..._ I waited for two, three and so on until it reached twelve, but they never came. _How can it be one already?_ Quickly I apologized to the people and politely excused myself, saying that I had some important business to attend to. With little explanation beyond that, I took off running in the direction of Air Temple Island. Upon reaching the docs, I didn't even bother waiting for the ferry. Still running, I held my arms out in front of me and repeatedly raised my upturned palms to shoulder height and sped over the bay on rock platforms I brought up from the sea floor.

Tenzin looked up, startled, when I burst into the Western Courtyard. "Katalana, you're early."

"Early?" I asked breathlessly. I had to lean over and lay my hands on my knees to catch my breath.

"Yes," he answered. "Korra hasn't even arrived yet."

While panting I explained, "Sorry... I didn't want...to miss...another...practice."

Tenzin looked at me with a certain tenderness that I had only seen him show to his children. "You know...it isn't necessary for you to attend these lessons."

Slowly, I pulled myself up straight again, but my breaths were still heavy. "Am I a bother?"

"No, no. Not at all!" Tenzin said quickly. "I rather enjoy your company. It's just that if you had somewhere you would rather be, you are free to go."

"Oh." His allowance of that caught me off guard.

_That was nice of him. _Very _nice. Why would he allow me that freedom? Korra has training, but even during her free time she is forbidden to leave the island._

"Thank you, I am certain that I may take up on that offer some time, but for now, I would like to be here to support Korra and help her train in any way I can."

_If she ever shows up,_ I added inwardly.

"That is very kind of you. It is not often that two siblings are so close."

I smiled politely. "But your family is pretty close, isn't it? You and your siblings? Your children?"

Tenzin's face fell a bit, as if I'd touched something he would rather not discuss.

"Was that too personal? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"No, no," Tenzin stopped me. "Bumi, Kya, and I were fairly close as children, but while we still care for one another, there is now a certain level of distance. We all have our differences that sometimes make family gatherings...interesting. But I am glad that my own children seem to have the opposite type of relationship. True, they are all very different, and they have their squabbles from time to time, but I can see them remaining close even into adulthood."

Again I smiled, warmly, for I had seen first-hand what he was talking about. His kids were much like he described them to be. "That's really sweet. At first glance, Korra and I may not seem very much alike, but we have much more in common than even we realize at times. It's nice to have someone you can count on no matter what. That's why I've been so adamant about attending Korra's sessions with you. True, I do enjoy learning the techniques myself, but I want to make sure that I will always be there for Korra – whether she's having a good day, or one of those days where she wants to rip everyone to shreds. Now I doubt there would be much I could do in a situation like that, but sometimes it just helps to have a friend there to lift you up or calm you down."

"That's very loyal of you."

"I like to think it is. But going back to your offer, that reminded me of something. I wanted to ask if-"

"Sorry I'm late!" Korra called as she skidded to a halt in front of us. In doing so she almost lost her balance and toppled over but she quickly regained her composure.

"Korra!" Tenzin announced, his calm-and-collected self flying away unexpectedly. Korra tensed, waiting for the ensuing lecture on being late. But as soon as his temper flared, it subsided peacefully. "You're right on time."

_"__Oh great,"_ Korra thought to me, sounding overly sarcastic. _"My few hours of torment begin early."_

_"__Hey, Tenzin just wants to help – and I do too. I came all the way from downtown to be here now, trying to avoid being _late_, but instead I turned up _early_."_

Korra huffed an irritated sigh, blowing some loose hairs out of her eyes. "So, Tenzin, what will you have us do today?"

Through earthbending I felt Tenzin stiffen ever so slightly. Choosing his words carefully, he said, "I thought we'd try something a little less..._trying_, today." He motioned to a circle carved into the stone patio. Its berth was about as long as a Sato-mobile, maybe longer. Though it didn't seem to be anything extraordinary, it was elegant in its own simple way. "This is a Ba-Gua Circle. It is a _very_ simple tool that I am sure you will learn to use quickly, and that you will use quite often."

Korra crossed her arms over her chest and put all of her weight on one leg. _"Great. So now he's got me back to square zero."_

I rolled my eyes.

_Why did she have to be so sulky about everything?_

_"You realize that you just said 'square zero,' right?"_

She ignored me.

Then Tenzin called to Meelo, who was hovering on his glider a few yards away. The little airbender swooped down, flicked the rod to fold it shut, set it down, and bounced over to his father. Knowing what he wanted, Meelo stood on the line that formed the ring. He started walking around its circumference spinning on his toes, holding his hands out defensively all the while until Tenzin commanded, "Change!" Immediately the boy switched directions, never skipping a beat. Next, Korra and I joined him. I caught on rather quickly, stumbling only once, before I found my rhythm. Korra, on the other hand, was unstable. She tripped once, lost her footing twice, but she finally got the hang of it...sort of. I danced around the figure with ease, almost floating over the swirled impressions. A mellow tune drifted through my mind as we walked, carrying me on a breeze. Tenzin only stood and nodded, stroking his beard thoughtfully as he paced beside us.

Once Korra showed some improvement, I decided that a tease would lighten the mood a bit. _"Getting dizzy yet?"_

She completely ignored my joke and asked dryly, _"We're walking in circles. How long do you really think Tenzin's going to make us do this?"_

_"__Not long. Maybe...ten, twenty minutes tops,"_ I said, shrugging.

Apparently it lasted a little longer than I'd expected. It was almost an hour and a half before Tenzin stopped us, but that was only because a messenger had been sent to summon him to a council meeting. I didn't want to imagine how long we would have been there if he hadn't been called away.

Back in our room, Korra collapsed on the bed, her hair splaying out in all directions. She pressed her palms over her eyes in frustration, her elbows sticking awkwardly up in the air. "Am I really _so_ bad at airbending that he has to take me back to the tool used _before_ the _beginner_ tool?"

"Well..."

"That was a rhetorical question – plus I can feel your uneasiness so I know what your answer is anyway."

"Sorry."

"Whatever." She flipped onto her side so that her back was to me.

Thinking I should try to cheer her up, a random converstaion starter popped out of my mouth. "So...what did you do today?"

She shrugged indifferently, then sat up and faced me as her sudden excitement grew. "I read the paper again. Pro-Bending is so fascinating! And we're living only a short boat ride away! Why do you think Tenzin won't let me go to the arena? I'm responsible, right?" She paused. "Actually, uh, don't answer that last part."

"He just wants you to focus on your training," I said, hoping to keep her positive.

"But even trainees need a break every once in a while," she countered.

"You _do_ have breaks. You have more free time here than you did at home."

"Yeah, but I have absolutely _nothing to do_! You're gone half the time so I all I have to do is sit around and think about how bad I am at airbending. Either that or do something with the kids – and I'm sure you can imagine how much fun _that_ is. Face it, Tenzin is trying to bore me to death!"

"He's trying to make sure you're not distracted."

"He's _trying_ to keep an eye on me." Her tone was sarcastic, but it was a dark kind of sarcasm laced with spite. Curious, I looked to her, and even in the dimming light I could see the envy burning in her eyes. It surprised me that I hadn't seen this in her before. I could often tell what anyone was feeling, both through earthbending and intuition, but with Korra...we had something special. With Korra I could usually see what she saw, think what she thought, feel what she felt.

_How could I not have felt this?_ I wondered.

She was mad. Mad at Tenzin, yes, but more than that, she was jealous. Jealous of me. Jealous that I was better at airbending techniques than her. Jealous that I could leave freely while she was cooped up on the island. Jealous that I'd made a friend – and a boyfriend at that. She was bored, irritated, lonely. I couldn't believe that I hadn't felt it sooner. I had to hear it to understand it.

_Have I really been _that_ bad at listening to her? Have I _really_ been taking Tenzin's side so much that I forgot to try to see things from Korra's point of view? Am I really _that_ oblivious?_

I sat down on the bed next to her, resting my hand on her knee apologetically. "I'm sorry, I really am. I had no idea. This whole time I thought I was trying to do the right thing and keep you focused through all of this, but really all I've been doing is trying to keep the peace between you and Tenzin. It's not my place to do that. I know you can handle things on your own. It's just...you're my sister. I feel like I need to protect those closest to me – even when there's no need to."

Korra just stared blankly down at her lap. She said nothing.

"Listen...if it bothers you that much, then...I won't go out again."

Her eyes widened as she turned her head to face me. _"You would be willing to do that for me?"_

But immediately she shook her head, banishing her selfish thoughts. "No, don't do that... That wouldn't be fair to you or to Jaalam. Besides, who else would go see a match for me?" She laughed, then hugged me. "But thank you."

I hugged her back. "You're family. I'd do anything for you."

"Thanks." She leaned back on her hands and thought for a minute. Then, ecstatic, she leaned toward me and in a hushed whisper she suggested, "Hey, why don't _we_ go see a match tonight?"

"What?!" I exclaimed, my voice shill even in a tone hushed like hers.

"Why don't we go to a Pro-Bending match?" she repeated, her eyes dancing in the candlelight. "We'll sneak out! No one will ever know."

All I could do was drop my jaw and gape at her. "You're crazy! We'd get caught!"

"If you won't go, then at least cover for me. You just said you'd do anything for family."

"I won't lie to Tenzin if _and when_ he finds out. Look, I'll go to a match tomorrow, then come back and tell you all about it. It may not be the perfect system, but I don't want to go behind Tenzin's back and I don't want you to either. And another thing! I don't appreciate you twisting my words. You know what I meant."

"Sorry," she apologized quickly. "But think about it! Wouldn't it be the greatest night of our lives? It'd be fun, rebellious, and you might not even be considered a little goodie-two-shoes anymore!"

"No one has called me that," I said, slightly offended.

"Okay, well they were all thinking it."

"Thanks," I drawled, irritated, as I crossed my arms. "Insulting me will _definitely_ change my mind."

"Oh come on, don't tell me you didn't know."

I shot her a look.

She held up her hands in surrender. "Again, sorry. But I'm leaving a half hour after everyone is asleep. Don't come if you don't want to, but don't try to hold me back."

"Fine." I said, rolling my sheets up to my chin. Then I bent over, blew out our only candle, and gently closed my eyes as the room plunged into darkness.

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"How is your progress, Apprentice? Has everything gone according to plan?"

"Yes sir, Amon."

"Good." The dark figure tapped his fingers together menacingly.

"Sir, if I may be allowed to speak...?"

The Equalist leader's back was still turned toward the boy, but even in the dim light he could see his head nodding slowly.

"I believe I have convinced her, sir, but, I must say I am confused. For what purpose am I doing this?"

He chuckled deeply. "You are a bright young man. You will fare well in the field..." He turned slowly and walked even slower toward the apprentice. "But you are clueless. You have not figured it out yet?"

The apprentice said nothing, moved not in the slightest except for the sudden pounding fear in his heart.

Amon shook his head, paced a bit, and raised his hand as two gloved fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked up again, raised a finger and waved it slightly, as if conducting, or teaching. "All in good time. All in good time."

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Kat: SO SORRY for the long wait on that. Honestly I have no clue when my next chapter will be ready. It's Thanksgiving Break but this was the only chance I was going to get to write. I wanted to post today b/c I have now been on Fanfiction for over a year! Oh man, so much has changed... But that's beside the point.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter, but I've got a lil explaining to do about the whole "Desensitizers/Dominators" thing. As a writer, I don't like repeating words over and over again. "Equalists" don't always fit b/c that could mean any degree of support for the anti-bending revolution from "Eh, better off without 'em but I'm not gonna do much about it," to "EQUALIZE THEM ALL LET'S KILL THEM NOW." So...yeah, you see my problem there. But I also didn't want to use "Chi-Blocker" at all b/c I am a Christian &amp; I don't really believe in the whole Chi/internal life force thing. I thought that "Desensitizers" and "Dominators" fit fairly well considering that their attacks numb the nerves in their victims, or "desensitize" them, and they themselves are taking control of the situation, or "dominating," by temporarily disabling them. So props for imagination?

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ATLA &amp; TLOK do not belong to me. Some characters and dialogue however, are mine!

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Don't forget your CQC's!


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